The Dark Rose
by OmegusXIII
Summary: Sequel to "The Grimm Huntsman." After the Battle of Kuroyuri and with most of the team back in Mistral only to go their separate ways once again, a new army threatens to destroy every Huntsman in existence, and a new foe will shatter the very notion of a hero. In the end, how can one fight the evil within?
1. Insurrection

**A/N: Hello, everybody. This is my first entry in Book Two of the Grimm Huntsman series. A little heads-up, I've added music in there to represent a theme to a certain character that is either current or new, depending on the character. For example, the first music that plays will be Raider's theme. I know Casey Lee Williams didn't write it, but I really felt that it represented him best, so please bear with me.**

 **Prologue:** "Insurrection"

 _At Atlas, a young boy wearing a black hoodie with the insignia of a Grimm on the back and dark grey jeans was walking alone out by the warehouse as he heard grunting from far away. He turned to see a young girl in a red dress and Raven hair knocking a White Fang member to the floor before she gripped him by the collar and held him up._

" _Where is your leader?"_

" _Like I'll tell you anything. The Faunus have suffered enough already. We will never surrender to you!"_

 _Then, Raider slammed the door, catching the soldier and Cinder's attention as he walked toward him, his half human, half Grimm features revealed in the light above them as Mercury and the young Emerald looked on in the shadows._

" _Cinder's the least of your worries. What you should worry about... is me."_

 _The soldier stood aghast at his appearance as he tried to speak._

" _What the...? What are you?"_

 _Raider gripped him by the throat with his Grimm side's arm before he spoke._

" _Someone whose life you ruined trying to make the Faunus superior. Someone who won't rest until the White Fang burns for what it did to me. And more importantly, someone who will expose the White Fang for what it is. Now, for the last time, where... is... your... leader?"_

 _ **Play Breaking Benjamin: Bury Me Alive (Nightcore)**_

 _Later, at one of the SDC's mines, a few guards there were eyeing the Faunus workers before Mercury, wearing the outfit and mask of the White Fang, tapped their shoulders._

" _Hey."_

 _Then, he bashed their heads together before they fell to the floor. The Faunus looked toward him in surprise before a female Faunus with wolf ears and a tail spoke to him in hope._

" _The White Fang. They've come for us."_

 _Then, Mercury took off the mask before he spoke._

" _Not exactly. You should probably get going."_

 _Then, the Faunus took off for the door as he looked over to Cinder, who nodded to him before he understood his task and opened the main door for Raider and Emerald as the soldiers looked toward them before they only saw a foggy mist in front of them. As they grew weary, in reality, Emerald and Raider were walking amongst them passing through before the doors closed. Then, Raider noticed a White Fang member before he glared at him and charged toward him, but not before turning to Emerald._

" _Meet up with Cinder. I'll meet you there."_

" _Okay."_

 _ **I keep falling out of line**_

 _As Raider gave chase, he lurched his Grimm arm to the ceiling and used it to leap forward and land in front of him before glaring his red eyes at him._

 _ **I was drained and left behind**_

" _You're not going anywhere."_

" _Freak!"_

 _ **All will fade and petrify**_

 _The White Fang member got out his sword only to be disarmed with a swipe from his claw before being gripped by the neck and tossed to the floor._

 _ **Feed the hate and start the lies**_

 _In doing so, the Faunus, especially two of them with red hair and another with spots on the face looked up to see Raider and grew surprised, frightened for some, and awestruck as they'd never seen any one that is half Grimm._

 _ **Falling in between**_

 _A man holding a camera and disguised as a mine worker noticed it, too._

" _What are you?"_

 _ **I am caught beneath**_

 _Suddenly, a wave of Atlesian guards came at him and shot at him, only for Raider to use Armageddon to create a portal before falling from the ledge and into it, much to their shock._

 _ **Light the way and let me go**_

 _Then, another portal opened behind them before Raider charged at them and in so doing, he shoved them off the edge as they screamed._

 _ **Suffocate inside**_

 _Soon, Raider turned to confront the leader of the White Fang with white hair and a mask over his face before Raider spoke._

 _ **I will break and watch you crawl**_

" _It's over, Caleb. For you and the White Fang."_

 _ **Bury me alive**_

 _Caleb only smirked as he held a small device on hand before Raider noticed small unstable crystals on the mine._

 _ **Bury me alive**_

" _Then it's over for all of us."_

" _No!"_

 _ **Bury me alive**_

 _ **End Breaking Benjamin: Bury me Alive (Nightcore)**_

 _Then, he pushed the button that detonated the crystals, resulting in a massive cave-in scaring the Faunus workers and the disguised man who noticed a woman with red hair and a man with horns on his head about to be crushed by the debris before he was forced to toss his camera away and run to them. He managed to shove them out of the way, but he couldn't save himself from being crushed as the Faunus he'd saved looked on in horror before Mercury spoke to them._

" _Get out of here! I'll help him out!"_

 _With that, the Faunus took off, but not before the woman thanked him._

" _My daughter would thank you for this."_

 _Mercury nodded to the two as they took off before Raider joined him and tried to lift the rock. They were successful, but by the time they checked his pulse, it was already missing. That meant only one thing: he had perished saving the Faunus. Suddenly, Jacques' voice spoke through the giant rock blocking the way._

" _Well, don't just stand there! Unblock the thing!"_

 _Mercury knew they had to go._

" _We have to get going."_

 _Then, Raider noticed his camera, as well as the photo of him before he took the picture and put it in his pocket, confusing Mercury._

" _What are you doing?"_

" _They can't know about us, remember?"_

 _Then, they took off just in time for the rock to break as Jacques and his soldiers entered._

* * *

In the present day, Raider stood out in the field pondering back to the Battle of Kuroyuri. He closed his eyes, trying to gather all the pieces of the puzzle.

* * *

 _He flashed back to when Ruby fought Yang and terminated her as their voices echoed._

" _I know what I did to you, and I'm sorry!"_

" _It's too late for that! I HATE YOU!"_

* * *

As they echoed in his mind, Raider couldn't seem to figure that out. He saw what happened, but that didn't mean he knew how they felt when they committed the act. He knew she was angry, that much was true, but what were the feelings behind it? Seeds of doubt planted by Salem, or her own anger let off its leash?

"Why'd you do it, Ruby? How can you be so calm after what you did?"

He looked over to the far window and saw Ruby groaning in her bed with tears escaping her closed eyes as she mumbled.

"No... no. I'm sorry. Please come back. Please..."

That was enough indication as to what really happened to her since then. She never knew about Jaune's semblance before until the end. Her aggravated attack on Yang was something she regretted but never once showed that around her friends to keep them from worrying about her, even at the possible expense of trust. Raider knew all too well about that as he did that up until Cinder tried her effort to get to know him only to use him in the end. He only sighed for her sake before he looked back up at the sky, as if speaking with the god of light himself.

"Please. Don't let Ruby suffer like I did."

* * *

However, contrary to Raider's thoughts that Ruby was suffering from reliving her own kill, she was actually suffering a nightmare involving her own mother's murder. And the one responsible for it was none other than Raven Branwen. She looked through the door to see her trembling while Yang slept like a baby. To know that she killed her mother was bad enough, but to see her suffer for it made it just as unbearable. As Ruby finally woke up startled and cried, knowing her mother was out of reach, Qrow noticed Raven's uneasiness and spoke to her.

"Don't say it. We both know that's not true."

Raven looked at her younger brother and grew ashamed as she held her head down.

"I don't know how else I'm supposed to prove it."

"Here's an idea. Drop dead."

As Qrow walked away, Raven tried to speak to him, desperate to try to set things right.

"I'm serious! I know I can't take back what I've done, but it doesn't change the fact that I regret it!"

"Do you? You sure as heck never showed it when you practically gave Yang up for adoption."

"She would've been a target, too, if I didn't! The instant I killed the Spring Maiden, her powers became a part of me. Since then, Salem got me on her hit list. The last thing I want is more people to die because of me."

There was a moment of silence before Qrow resumed his glare towards her.

"Tell that to Summer. I'm sure she'd believe you. You can try apologizing and making up excuses all you want. But the only reason you're here is because you're the Spring Maiden. Once we get rid of Salem... I'll get rid of you myself. And nothing you do will ever change that. Until then, have fun sleeping at night."

With that, Qrow walked out as Raven was left in the hall as she finally fell to her knees and sobbed her heart out. Pyrrha got out and saw her weeping before she tried to cheer her up, only to remember what she did to Ruby, what she made her into. As much as she hated her, though, Pyrrha's not the type to hold a grudge. She only patted her on the shoulder, catching her attention before the Spartan spoke.

"You can't give up. Sure, you're not the greatest person in the world, but... that doesn't mean you can't change. You proved that by helping us with this. The fact you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."

With that, Pyrrha walked away from Raven before she opened the doors to the outside yard. Raider turned to see Pyrrha in her standard fighting armor, but with one notable difference: her red auburn hair was let all the way down. Seeing her new style, Raider grew impressed.

"So, you changed your style?"

"Yeah. I'm not afraid to go all-out."

* * *

"Good. Let's begin."

Meanwhile, Yang woke up to see Ruby staring out at the window as Raider was teaching Pyrrha how to properly manage her aura again. This time, Pyrrha seemed to be getting the upper hand as she had appeared to aim for Cinder's heart at one point only to mislead her before she instead tripped her feet before plunging her sword into the Grimm arm. That only made the illusion furious before she retaliated by plunging her illusionary sword through her, scaring Ruby to death. After which, the illusion faded away, leaving no wound on Pyrrha who checked her chest to see if the wound made its mark. Fortunately, it didn't as she sighed.

"Phew. That was close."

"No. That was careless. You had the advantage and then what happened?"

Pyrrha sighed, knowing what point he was making.

"I hesitated."

"Exactly. Even after a critical blow, there's no time for you to hesitate."

As Raider continued coaching Pyrrha, Yang sighed at this, remembering when she trained Ruby back at Patch.

* * *

 _Suddenly, Ruby fell backward to the floor before she complained._

" _Ooowwww."_

" _Come on. You totally could've dodged that."_

 _With that, she held her hand up to lift Ruby up before she reiterated her hand-to-hand abilities._

" _Yang, I already told you. I'm just not cut out for hand to hand. Why can't I just use my beautiful Crescent Rose?"_

" _That's exactly why I wouldn't let you bring it."_

 _Ruby only growled at her Sister's opinion._

" _I'm gonna be leaving for Beacon soon. I wanna make sure my little sis can hold her own while I'm gone."_

 _With that, Yang entered her stance again before Ruby begrudgingly agreed._

" _Fine."_

 _Suddenly, Yang got the jump on her before she blocked it as she did throughout the spar. However, whenever she saw an opening, she took it, only for Yang to dodge it and trip her before moving in to punch her, forcing her to use her semblance to scatter to the bushes in petals, making her laugh a bit._

" _Nice one, sis. You're not always gonna be able to run away from your problems, though. Sometimes you just have to stand your ground and fight, no matter what. Alright, enough rest. Get back out here."_

 _However, Yang heard a rustle from the bushes far away. As the twigs broke, Yang looked deeper in the area before she spoke for her._

" _Ruby?"_

 _However, what she saw wasn't Ruby but an Ursa Grimm as it growled, causing her to fear the worst._

" _Ruby!"_

 _Suddenly, it roared before darting toward her as Yang got out her Ember Celica to engage it._

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Ignite"**_

 _ **Hello there, my enemy, welcome to my punching spree!**_

 _ **This is where I lay waste and you go home bleeding!**_

 _ **Didn't have to be this way, should've stayed out of the fray!**_

 _ **Now you're heading for a beating!**_

 _When they got close, Yang avoided its swipe before she punched it and hit it with her Ember Celica, earning its angry roar as it swiped her back before Yang recovered and used her weapon to fire two missiles at the Ursa who roared before attempting to smash her, only for Yang to hold it back with her arm._

 _ **Didn't mother warn you? Now she's gonna mourn you!**_

 _ **Being damaged's How you'll end this day!**_

 _ **You're a big mess, cuz I'm relentless,**_

 _ **I've gotta tell you, I'm on fire today!**_

 _As Yang struggled to hold it back, she was able to fire a blast at its face upward before she ran away from it only to Ron underneath it and attack it from behind with her bullets. Frustrated, she ran toward it again and punched it in the face before using her weapon to move quickly to another side, to which the Ursa swiped to only for Yang to block it and fire at it again._

 _ **Crash and burn (crash and burn!)**_

 _ **Some lessons are hard to learn!**_

 _ **Scathing Eyes (scathing eyes!)**_

 _ **That see things from only one side**_

 _With that, Yang used this lag to maneuver around it and kick it in the face and move away from it swiftly. However, when she tried to attack it again, she thought she saw a familiar face that showed spite for her mother, throwing her off guard and allowing the Ursa to overpower her and defeat Yang as it did a backhand swipe at her, knocking her farther away to the forest._

 _ **Yet every misshapen spark suffers the judgment and pain.**_

 _Far away, Ruby woke up from the knockout of her retreat and staggered to where she was sparring with Yang before she noticed that an Ursa was present instead. When she did, she let out a gasp, alerting its attention before the Ursa turned to her. Unbeknownst to her, though, a male voice spoke to it._

" _Tear this weakling apart..."_

 _It seemed to have complied with his demand as it acted like a bull and clawed the sand before roaring and running toward her, frightening the young girl just as Yang noticed this. With that, she was forced to use her weapon to get enough speed as Ruby held her fists up in vain. Once it leaped, Yang got in its way and ended up in its mouth before her aura flickered and it shook her around before tossing her away._

" _Yang!"_

 _However, Yang opened her eyes to reveal red irises before leaping from the tree and engaging in a Fistfight with the Ursa, causing a shockwave while slowly but surely crushing its hand in the process as it yelped in pain before they broke away. In the process, the Ursa faded away while Yang tumbled to the tree._

 _ **Fool, you shouldn't stare into these eyes of fire**_

 _ **You're going to regret this little fight!**_

 _ **You don't want to mess with me, I'm something higher!**_

 _ **Anguish you'll know for your miserable plight!**_

 _ **Soon you'll bemoan your mistake of a life!**_

 _ **You'll watch yourself suffer you'll watch me IGNIIIITE!**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Ignite"**_

" _Yang!"_

 _With the battle over, Ruby ran over to Yang, desperate to help any way she could before she knelt down to her._

" _Yang! Are you okay? I didn't know how to help without my scythe! I'm so sorry."_

" _It's okay. I've always got your back, sis."_

* * *

After remembering the moment, Yang got back to the present and spoke about Raider's methods.

"He's really letting her have it, huh? He's as tough as me."

Then, when she received no answer, she looked over to her sister and could tell that Ruby wasn't looking so relieved.

"What's wrong, Ruby?"

"Just forget about it. It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing. I know that look, and I also know you've been through a lot. So tell me. What's going on?"

Ruby didn't want to tell her about the nightmare she had last night, but she was willing to tell her about her true feelings.

"Honestly, Yang... I don't want you to leave. You just came back to me and... it's like I'm being abandoned all over again."

"That's not it."

"What?"

"I get that you feel that way, and maybe it's what you tell yourself, but it's not the truth. Tell me what's really going on."

Ruby admitted defeat and sighed before speaking again.

"Let me rephrase that. I don't want you to go with Raven. She... she hurt me really bad when I found out she killed my mom. And as much as I want to forgive her... actually, I don't. And I can't. I know she's trying to be a better person or whatever, but that doesn't change what she did to me. What she did to you. So literally nothing she does will ever make me forgive her. In fact, I think I'd rather die than do that. At least then, I'll be able to see her again."

Yang was taken aback by her negativity for a moment, only to remember everything she went through and sighed back to her before asking.

"That's it? That's what's bothering you?"

"Yeah. I wish I could say otherwise, but that's the truth."

"Well, that makes two of us."

"Huh?"

"I may be going with her, but that doesn't mean I'm on her side, Ruby. I don't want to go with her any more than you want me to, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Because I'm not like her. I'm not a coward. And my mom, her whole tribe, they shouldn't have to be either. So I don't like this any more than you, but I have to go."

Ruby, as much as she hated it, knew this was what she had to do before she hugged her, surprising Yang for a moment before she hugged the white and red-haired girl back.

"I just hope you'll be safe."

"Yeah. I can say the same for you."

* * *

Ruby and Yang weren't the only ones watching. As Pyrrha and Raider trained, Weiss watched as the latter spoke to his student.

"You've still got a long way to go. You have to work harder if you want to be the Fall Maiden."

"I know."

That made Weiss remember the time when she trained at home while Winter was around. Before her scar _..._

* * *

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Path to Isolation"**_

 _Out in the frosty field, Weiss stood in the backyard as snow covered it as she put a small silver crown over her head where the ponytail was._

 _ **It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.**_

 _ **The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.**_

 _Then, Weiss walked forward as a swirl of snow surrounded her before white Grimm appeared from the haze._

 _ **And in its place there's nothing, just an endless, empty hole**_

 _ **The light that showed the way is gone and darkness takes control**_

 _As more white Grimm Beowulfs appeared, they seemed to circle around Weiss before one of them ran up from behind her and leaped at her, only for Weiss to stab it through the mouth before it faded away._

 _ **Bitterness and anger are quick to fill the void**_

 _ **The path to isolation is is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed**_

 _Next, two more Beowulfs began their assault only for Weiss to jump above one of them and slice off the head before summoning a Glyph in the air to leap from towards another as it roared. As it did, a Glyph appeared in front of it as Weiss stabbed through it and the Beowulf before she leaped away and landed near the statue of a snowflake. With that her Myrtenaster turned to a red dust cartridge before it generated fire around the blade and Weiss used it to blow the haze and the Beowulfs away while melting the ice on the tree and building. Weiss looked at her Myrtenaster with pride before noticing another swirl of white Grimm appearing._

 _ **The cold seems to grow in my soul, it's consuming me**_

 _ **Confused, and I'm losing myself in the storm.**_

 _ **Growing jaded, being pushed, being pulled, I'm unraveling**_

 _ **Can't find myself when I'm constantly forced to conform!**_

 _The Grimm roared at her as they crept up to her before Weiss summoned a black Glyph behind her and used it to launch herself toward them and defeat one of them._

 _ **Enemies surround me but the worst appear as friends**_

 _ **Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends**_

 _With that, Weiss proceeded to attack a Grimm with repetitive stabs before she decapitated another of its arms legs and head before she saw more approaching and attacked them using her Glyph and Myrtenaster to best them._

 _ **Everything is breaking right before my eyes**_

 _ **Looking in the mirror, I see someone that I don't recognize!**_

 _Finally, she used her sword to plunge it to the ground, summoning a giant ice radius that unpacked the Grimm around her before they faded away. However, a sudden trail of snow seemed to be rushing at her before she was forced to move away. However, she wasn't able to stop Myrtenaster from being knocked away by the trail. With that, more Grimm appeared to swarm around her. Suddenly, one Grimm leapt on her and tried to devour her as she struggled to hold it back._

 _ **Mirror, what's this thing I see? Who is staring back at me?**_

 _ **A stranger to my heart has filled my mind**_

 _ **Mirror, help me. Who am I?**_

 _Suddenly, countless other Grimm decided to leap at her all at once, forcing Weiss to call out her name._

" _Winter!"_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Path to Isolation"**_

 _Just like that, all of the Grimm disappeared as Weiss got to her knees before her Myrtenaster was unpacked to the ground in front of her to show Winter standing over her with a sad lookonher face as she sighed._

" _I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."_

" _I'm sorry. I'll get better."_

" _You'll have to if you ever want to leave."_

 _With that, Winter walked away as Weiss took those words to heart._

* * *

Just then, Logan's voice spoke to her.

"Weiss. Weiss?"

As Weiss was brought back to reality, she noticed Logan and Mount next to her.

"What?"

Logan grew nervous for a moment before explaining himself.

"Nothing. Just... wanted to check on you. You looked pretty dismal for a minute, there."

"Oh. Sorry. It's just... this reminds me so much of Winter. I wasn't always alone at home with Whitley. She was there to help me become better. To keep me focused on my studies, so I can be strong enough to leave."

Then, Logan remembered how cold she was previously, always worrying about studying.

"So that's why you were so distant. It's because you wanted to be strong."

"Yeah. A lot of good that did, though. Even with all that work, I couldn't stop the Fall of Beacon. I couldn't stop the team from being divided. I... I was weak."

Sensing her need to sob, Logan placed his hand on hers before she could.

"You're not weak, Weiss. None of you guys counted on the enemy from the inside."

Weiss only pulled her hand away from him as she held her head down.

"Winter did."

What none of them knew was that Winter was listening to their conversation and grew saddened to hear Weiss like this and tried to comfort her when Qrow spoke to her.

"So, Ice Queen... your family hit rock bottom, too?"

Winter would normally be flustered with his words, but she knew it was the truth. The Fall of Beacon was bad enough, but Weiss was the one who had the worst of it and Winter couldn't do anything other than her duty. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough.

"In a way. And you?"

"The lowest. You think you know family, and then they stab you in the back. If I never see Raven again, it'll be too soon."

Winter couldn't exactly relate to his situation, but she could tell he found himself in a whirlpool of raw and pure rage at Kuroyuri.

"That bandit. She was your family?"

"She _was._ Now, she's just that. A bandit."

"And what about you?"

Qrow felt as if Winter was accusing him.

"What about me?"

"What makes you think you're any better?"

"Because _I_ never _killed_ my friends. Because I'm _choosing_ to be a better person."

"Exactly."

Qrow is beginning to understand Winter's point as she spoke onward.

"Now Raven's trying to do the same. You don't have to forgive her, but once you... get rid of her, you'll be no better than she is."

Qrow was clearly not on the mood to let her go after it's over as he spoke.

"I'm getting tired of this conversation, Ice Queen."

"Don't call me that."

"I'll call you that whenever I want to. You don't know the nightmare I went through."

"I can make a guess. You lost the person you cared about, so you decided to lose your family altogether. Makes perfect sense to me."

"RAVEN IS NOT MY FAMILY!"

Then, Qrow and Winter heard Penny clearing her throat nervously out of awkwardness and turned to see the young cyborg by the corner before they cut their act as Winter spoke to her.

"Yes, Penny?"

"Um... can I check on Pyrrha? I heard she went through a lot after... you know."

"Well, what's stopping you, kiddo?"

"You are kinda in the way."

Then, they noticed how close they were to each other and backed away to the walls before he spoke again.

"In that case, by all means. Go ahead."

Then, Penny resumed her walk toward the courtyard before Winter spoke to him again.

"She may not be your family anymore, but if you kill her... you'll just be giving Salem what she wants. At least that Raider guy figured that out."

Then, Winter went in the room to see Logan and Weiss looking to her before she asked Logan.

"Logan... can I speak with Weiss alone?"

Logan didn't want to leave Weiss after what she went through. It'll take more than a request to keep him from her.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us."

Winter, not wanting to escalate the situation took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Fine. Weiss... I... owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For being so strict with you. I just wanted you to be strong like I was."

"Winter. You don't have to be—"

"But I went about it all wrong. You needed to be stronger in your own way, and I tried to make you stronger like me. A lot of good that did us."

Logan felt that Winter didn't need to go on any further.

"You can stop, Winter. I get it. You just wanted her to be strong because she's herself, not because of her family name. And while you did go about it the wrong way, you still helped her be a Huntress. So, what I'm trying to say is... thank you, Winter, for pushing Weiss to be the best she could be."

As he took in the simple boy's words, she felt grateful for him as she shed a small tear and smiled while wiping it away.

"You're welcome."

Then, she reached for her sword and swiped it quickly near his foot, forcing him to lift his legs up quickly as he exclaimed.

"That's for speaking out of turn."

Logan only smiled at her, learning to get used to that.

"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."

With that, Winter got up and walked out of the room before turning to the two.

"Oh, one more thing. You two better play nice."

That made Logan and Weiss blush madly as Winter walked out before they looked to each other and then away as they try to figure out how to go about it.

As they did so, Winter turned to see Qrow with a wide expression on his face as she grew curious.

"What is it, Qrow?"

"Uh, n-nothing."

Then, Raider's voice spoke up.

"Okay, everyone! Out in front!"

* * *

Later, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Logan, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Penny, Qrow, Raven, Winter, Abraham, and Mount along with Ironwood's Atlesian soldiers and the Grimmites that fought by Abraham's side were in single file outside and within the hotel's gates as Raider spoke.

"I know you all have plans to convene with your specific groups immediately. And I'm sure you need overdue rest. But I'm afraid that'll have to wait. Above anything else, we must reach Haven Academy and protect it. The journey would no doubt be perilous, wrathful, and painful. But remember that you're doing this not just for Remnant, but for your families. For all of the loved ones you have that were lost to you or that you have yet to lose. Above anything else, we can't let Salem win again! We _won't_ let her win again! If we fight together, we'll win or die together! Who's with me?!"

With that, the whole group cheered in uplifted abandon as Ruby felt very crowded.

"Wow. He sure can work up a crowd..."

Just then, Ironwood walked up to him and motioned him to go with him using his hand before being led to Dr. Polendina.

"Ah, Raider! It's good to see you again."

"The feeling's mutual, old timer. But what's wrong?"

"Well, uh, you see..."

"There's a catch, isn't there?"

"Before we go... we have to pick up one more passenger."

"Passenger? Who?"

* * *

At Menagerie, Blake and Sun were out looking for an informant of the White Fang as she looked at the scroll to see a brown-haired man with spots all over him as well as a necklace with three teeth around it before she looked to Sun who nodded to her. With that, they walked forward to look for him as the informant made a purchase.

"Just charge it to my card."

With that purchase, he acquired a new dagger as he noticed Blake and Sun before he grew irritated and drew out his gun and proceeded to fire at them, only for Blake to block the gunfire amidst the frightened crowd. With that, he took off as Blake and Sun gave chase. As the chase began, the informant stopped midway and fired again twice before he found out the gun ran out of ammo and ran again. Forced to take drastic measures, he used his dagger to cut the chains that held a box of crates and the car. This forced Sun use his aura to create two more copies and hold the crate before he spoke to Blake.

"Go!"

As Sun joined in to hold back the crates, Blake used her Gambol Shroud to inpale the boxes, using it to run on walls with the momentum before she then used it to trip and catch the informant. Before she could pull him in, a long fingernail snapped it, forcing Blake to fall to the ground before she got up and saw Illia looking at her with remorse while Crimson was looking at her with a dark smile on his face. This time, though, his face had gotten worse. The human part of it was now pale silver with another red eye in place. As Crimson smiled, he spoke to her about Illia's involvement.

"You can't blame her for trying to keep her best friend alive, can you?"

With that, Crimson fired his fingernails at a crane, causing it to drop near her, creating smokescreen before Crimson then gripped the informant and stabbed his claws into him, causing a black substance to overtake him as he shrieked in pain before his skin had now become pale with red eyes and black coating over his arms and legs, to Illia's horror before he spoke to his victim.

"Welcome to the club, pal. Now let's move."

With that, Crimson, Illia, and their informant vanished in a white haze just as Sun caught up to see Blake alone.

"What happened?!"

"They got away. I'm sorry."

With that, Blake turned back and walked away before Sun did the same. As they did, Blake remembered Illia's reason for joining the White Fang.

* * *

" _Can I ask you something?"_

" _Sure."_

" _Why'd you join the White Fang?"_

" _Same reason as you."_

" _But—"_

" _But, why fight when I pass for human? It's okay. You're not the first person to ask. I know I look just like any other human girl. And for years... that's how I was raised. We lived in Mantle, with the other Faunus working the mines. But my parents wanted something better for me. They managed to enroll me in an Atlas prep school. Imagine that. A little Faunus girl from Mantle going to the city of dreams. Ah, I felt like a princess. But, I had to follow a set of rules. No bringing friends home, no talking about my parents, and absolutely, under no circumstances, was I allowed to change colors. No one else could know I was a Faunus."_

" _That... sounds terrible."_

" _It wasn't. At least as time went on. It was confusing at first, but... it wasn't hard. Especially if it meant being in Atlas. Sometimes the other girls would say things about the Faunus. That they were animals, that they were dirty, or they lied, and... I'd say those things with them. Because I felt like I was one of them! And then... one day... there was a cave-in at the mines. For some reason, they talked about a Huntsman that's part Grimm. He was there when it happened. Some say he caused it, and that it was covered up. I was at school when the news broke. Apparently, one of the workers tripped while handling some agitated dust crystals. The explosion caused a chain reaction. And my... 'friends...' snickered. Well, most of them did. The one who didn't? She knew better than to make fun of any death in general. She knew better than anyone what it was like. But that didn't stop me from losing control. Every inch of me turned Blue as I wept. And suddenly... all the girls that I'd laughed and played with... were scared of me. It didn't help that I turned red and broke their teeth shortly after. When one of my friends tried to calm me down... I hurt her... so I ran. That way, I'd never hurt her again."_

" _I'm sorry."_

" _Don't be. Despite what I just put her through, she came running_ to _me. But... later after, I found out what she could do."_

" _So she's a Faunus, too?"_

" _Not like one I've ever seen. The Grimm... she... she played with them. The joy I saw in her eyes when she did, and the way they went along with it... That's when I knew I wasn't alone in what we're going through. But we also knew that we had to split apart. But we each swore that we'd never forget each other. So, that's one good thing that came out of what happened."_

" _Your friend. Who was she?"_

" _Someone who could relate. She had special markings all over her. I could've sworn she was a new Faunus, but there were... Just markings. As blue as her hair. The main reason I joined the White Fang was because of her. Her name... was Skye."_

* * *

Meanwhile, in Mistral, a blue-haired girl who wore a blue hood and tape wrapped around her arms and legs was seen in chains, tied to the pole of a tent as her captor came in. He had a silver mohawk and a purple robe on, as well as a wicked smile to the girl who tried in vain to break her chains.

"So, Skye. Comfortable?"

"Not even a little."

"Oh, hush. You should be grateful to me. After your escape from Atlas, you had nowhere to go, so I took you in. And how did you repay me? By summoning Grimm! How's that even possible?!"

"I never asked for your help! I could've been fine on my own!"

"That's beside the point, missy! The point is, you gave us the advantage. Once we use those Grimm of yours, we'll decimate anyone who dares to defy the Black Dagger. Especially that Raven Branwen. If I never hear her mocking voice again, it'll be too..."

Suddenly, the loathsome voice of which he spoke called him out.

"Korihor!"

That made Korihor's face blanch as he then grimaced in anger.

"You see? _This_ is exactly what I'm talking about. She's been the bane of my existence for 10 years. She's always hounded me. But not for long..."

Raven's voice continued calling him out.

"You better come out and face us like a man, coward!"

"Oh, yeah, Raven?! You and what army?!"

As Korihor opened the tarp, he noticed Raven as well as the Huntsmen, Huntresses, Grimmites, and Atlesian soldiers as his eyes dropped in shock while Skye looked outside to notice them and grew fearful of their presence, as well as the meaning. However, her fears were put to rest as Dr. Polendina spoke.

"You better release Skye Volare at once, or so help me I will tear you limb from limb!"

Ruby grew confused at the doctor's behavior as she turned to Penny, who knew the girl quite well before she was called to Mistral.

"What's he talking about?"

"Skye Volare was actually a friend I had in Atlas Academy. I've only known for her about a year, though."

"Wow."

Korihor glared at Raven with great malice at this.

"Raven. You have some nerve to show your face here after what you put us through!"

That confused Yang as Raven justified herself.

"You know why I did what I did. With those powers, Summer would've been hunted her entire life! What I did, it was mercy!"

As Ruby glared at her, not believing anything she has to say, Korihor flouted it just as spitefully.

"And look what happened to the rest of us because of your so-called 'mercy!' We have Crimson after us like bloodhounds! All of this is because of you!"

Then, Qrow spoke up.

"Alright, alright. Look, I feel for you, pal, but right now, we need a passenger to pick up on our way to Haven. So we're just gonna liberate her if you don't mind."

Korihor only denied the request.

"Hah! Not a chance! Especially not to a _Branwen_! _"_

Seeing the opportunity, Ruby stepped up.

"How about a bet?"

That caught Korihor's attention quickly as he smirked.

"A bet, you say?"

"Yeah. A bet. Me against your best man. If I win, you give Skye her freedom and let her go with us."

"And if I win?"

"Well... then you get me, too."

That made Qrow and Yang concerned while Raven widened her eyes.

"What?"

"Are you serious, Ruby?!"

Korihor chuckled at such an offer from a child.

"And what's so special about _you_?"

Having heard this, Ruby remembered what Ozpin said when she first got to Beacon.

"My silver eyes. Legend has it that even the Grimm are scared of them."

"Ooh, is that right? Very well. You've got yourself a deal."

As Korihor chuckled, Yang turned to Ruby.

"Why would you do this, Ruby?"

Ruby only replied sarcastically.

"I don't know. Maybe because I actually care about others, unlike some people."

Having heard herself, she covered her mouth in shock.

"Where did that come from?!"

Then, Korihor named the terms of the battle.

"We will begin the challenge immediately. Anything goes..."

Ruby responded proudly to that.

"Good idea!"

"Except for one rule: no weapons allowed!"

That made Ruby shrink to the ground.

"Bad idea."

Yang felt that she knew what Korihor was doing and spoke against it.

"Hey! Don't we get to practice first?"

"No! I'm sorry, but _she's_ the one who made the challenge. It's not my fault she didn't prepare for it!"

Qrow felt it was unfair as well.

"Now, that's a dirty trick and you know it!"

"Far from it. Unlike _you_ , we actually have honor to spare!"

"Yeah, well history proved otherwise, Kori."

"Don't you dare call me that!"

Knowing her experience in hand-to-hand combat, Yang walked up to Ruby.

"You don't have to do this, Ruby."

"No. But I'm gonna do it anyway."

That made Yang realize what that she was using her own quote against her and smiled.

"You smart aleck."

Ruby smiled back at her before she hugged Yang before the latter spoke to her.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"You got it, sis."

Then, Ruby stepped up to the center of the hideout before she spoke.

"Alright. I'm ready when you are."

Korihor felt it was too rich as he laughed before he spoke.

"Of course I am. I'm ready to win! Rex the Giant! You're up!"

Then, hollow footsteps came from Ruby's opponent as he stepped toward her. When the crowd moved away, Ruby noticed the red markings on her foe that seemed to resemble an Ursa's as well as the skull on his head. Seeing the size of the opponent, Ruby grew frightened and gulped as he looked down at her.

"I'm dead."

At the stands, Nora could agree.

"Well, she's dead."

That made Yang punch her in the shoulder.

"What?"

"Ruby will make it. She's got to."

All the while, Qrow and Raider looked at Korihor and his tent before the former turned to the latter.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Yeah. But we better hurry."

With that, Rex the Giant spoke to Ruby in the arena.

"You seem too decent a girl to fight."

"Really? Well, uh, that's nice."

"It's too bad I have to destroy you."

That made Ruby scared before she asked, thinking about the worst he could do, ranging from squishing her into a pancake to sending her flying to another kingdom.

"And, uh... h-how are you... gonna do that?"

With that, Rex stood in place with his arms out.

"Hit me!"

That caught Ruby and her group off guard.

"Huh?"

Jaune blinked his eyes in confusion.

"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?"

"I don't get it. You want me to hit you?"

"Yes. As soon as you do, you'll understand why I'm named 'Rex the Giant.'"

Yang knew that he must be up to something.

"Be careful, Ruby! Don't let him get to your head!"

"Okay. J-Just remember. You asked for it."

With that, Ruby darted toward Rex and began punching him in the chest repeatedly until she had to take a breath. As she did, she tried to act tough.

"Well! How did that feel?"

Rex only smiled at her before he answered.

"Just pleasant."

Suddenly, a red light came over him as he started to go twice the size of an Ursa as Ruby blanched.

"Oh. So, that's why they called you 'Giant.' Well-played."

With that, Rex smiled as he prepared to squish her.

"Thank you. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that you won't live to tell the tale. It's nothing personal."

As his foot prepared to go down on her, Yang called out to her.

"RUBY!"

However, Ruby wasn't giving up yet as she used her semblance to avoid his foot, catching Rex by surprise before she spoke.

"I'm not done yet. I'm just getting started."

"You just keep deluding yourself."

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Die"**_

As Rex attempted to punch Ruby, she was forced to dodge away from his incoming fist before she took advantage of the lapse and headed toward his face, only for her to be swiped away with a backhand to the ground. Still reeling from the pain, Ruby pondered to herself as Korihor spoke.

"You can't defeat Rex, girl! The brute is three times your size!"

"Come on. What would Yang do?"

 _ **Where did it go?**_

 _ **Our peaceful youth seems to be gone forever**_

 _ **And in its place, a life of war**_

 _ **Every truce has severed**_

Then, it hit her. The brute can withstand every blow and grow in size to accommodate them, but if that was supposed to be a semblance, then it would only last as long as his aura would. That was all she could piece together before Rex began another attack with his swinging foot. With that, Ruby dodged that kick and used her semblance to zip behind the other one and land a hard punch to it, forcing it to pitch forward and causing him to trip.

 _ **We'll live our lives watching our backs**_

 _ **Not knowing who to trust or fear**_

As that happened, Ruby took advantage of the opportunity and tried to pin him to the floor, only for him to get up effortlessly as he grew 1/2 that size morebefore he smirked.

"You gave me a mighty blow, but I'll hit it right back!"

 _ **The hate just swallows all the love**_

 _ **And truth will disappear**_

As Rex plunged his fist to the earth, Ruby used her semblance again to speed up to his face and punch his forehead, knocking him back a bit before he started growing by 1/4 with his red aura flickering. Korihor saw what she was doing and grew worried.

"Oh, no! Come on, Rex! You were supposed to squash that girl, not let her make a fool out of you!"

With that, team JNPR, Weiss, and Yang cheered her on as Raven smirked at him, earning his angry growl before he turned to three more men beside him.

"Axe, Venunem, Nico, take care of her!"

Axe (the man with claws and a black cape over him similar to a Geist), Venunem (the man with wrist blades in the style of a Lancer), and Nico (the man with the wings of a Nevermore on his back) took off toward the battle. All the while, Ruby prepared to hit one more punch to his chest.

"Okay. One more should do it."

Before she could move, Ruby was suddenly knocked back by Nico as he did a flying kick to her stomach and sent her tumbling back before Axe moved in to kick her away before Venunem fired one of his Lancer stingers at her, only for it to just graze her cheek before her aura began to flicker.

 _ **Lost and blind (Oh-Oh-Oh)**_

 _ **Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind**_

 _ **It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined**_

 _ **But the future's looking bleak and a storm is set to rise**_

Yang and Nora noticed this before declaring foul play.

"Hey! They just ganged up on her!"

"You guys are cheaters!"

Raven knew otherwise, given his "rule."

"Not entirely. He only said 'no weapons allowed.' Beyond that, anything goes."

That only made Jaune more determined.

"Well, if that's the case, what's to stop us from helping her?"

However, Ruby spoke against it.

"Don't you dare!"

"What?!"

"This is _my_ challenge, and _my_ fight! You don't need to get involved in this!"

Yang felt she was getting overconfident and voted against that.

"Are you crazy, Rubes?! What are you trying to prove?!"

As Weiss gasped at figuring out the answer, Rex made an assumption of his own as he laughed before speaking.

 _ **Say goodbye**_

 _ **Time to die**_

 _ **Say goodbye (Just say goodbye)**_

 _ **Time to die (Time)**_

"If this is your way of trying to be a Huntress, don't bother! Just go home to your mother and read some stories!"

That comment as well as their laughter made Ruby widen her eyes before sporting an angry look on her face before her eyes turned silver.

"What did you just say about my mom?"

Suddenly, she darted toward them with a shout in a white streak of light as she caught Nico in it, creating a black and white swirl before it caught Axe and Venunem in it before sending them flying away from the arena. As they landed on the hard ground, Logan grew surprised.

"What the heck is happening?!"

 _ **Feel it everywhere and you see it growing**_

 _ **Enemies arise and the hate is flowing**_

 _ **Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky**_

Korihor could ask the same thing.

"What the heck is happening?! Did I take her too lightly?!"

Suddenly, the white streak of light landed before it revealed Ruby with glowing white eyes before Rex snarled.

"Your light show doesn't scare me!"

With that, Rex thrust his fist toward her only for Ruby to dash to his feet and appeared to have gripped one of them before he ended up flying to the sky with it.

 _ **The machines of war will fill both sides and the greed will only grow more lies**_

 _ **Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die!**_

Sensing what was about to happen, Yang called out to the crowd.

"Everyone back up!"

With that, the crowd sensed what Yang did and ran for cover.

 _ **Die!**_

As the Giant got lifted higher and higher, the white streak of light finally stopped before Ruby spoke.

 _ **Die!**_

"Never talk about my mom again."

With that, Ruby thrusted herself to the giant, landing a crucial blow that shattered his aura and forced him to shrink in intervals before he ended up back to normal just before he collided with the ground, triggering a massive shockwave that blew the trees away as well as spreading the dirt all over the radius.

 _ **Die!**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Die"**_

As the dust settled, Korihor coughed trying to get the dirt out of his mouth before noticing Ruby standing on top of Rex in horror.

"AAH! Oh, no, Rex!"

Then, Ruby's silver eyes flickered back to normal, the glow dissipating before noticing that she was atop her opponent.

"I... I won?"

As the crowd came back to see the result, they noticed Ruby atop Rex and gasped in shock while Yang, Weiss, Logan, Raven, Team JNPR and the others ran over to her as Ruby's sister spoke.

"Ruby! What did you do back there?"

"I-I don't know. I was just..."

"That... was... awesome! I didn't know you had it in you, Rubes."

Then, she looked to Weiss before she spoke.

"So, uh... how did I do?"

Weiss had figured out what Ruby was doing it for. It turned out Ruby was trying to prove herself to Weiss that she was good enough to be their leader. She never knew it bothered her, because she felt Ruby didn't really care about her opinion. She could only assume that the team splitting apart made her think long and hard about the way she led the team. With that, she responded to her question matter of factly.

"Well, you were just fine the way you were, Ruby. Though, I gotta admit, I haven't seen you do _that_ before. How did you do that?"

"Dunno. Once he started making fun of my mom, I just... lost it, I guess."

Before Ruby could explain any further, Korihor spoke.

"So... that's the power of those silver eyes, huh?"

"Yep. Now let Skye go, Korihor."

"Hmm. I could do that, _or..._ I can take the both of you for myself!"

However, Qrow begged to differ.

"Or you get neither."

As Korihor looked to Qrow, he noticed that Skye was with him and Raider before he started yelling in anger.

"Aah! Young lady, you get back here right now!"

"Why should I? You're not my dad, and he's even worse than you!"

That caught Raider and Qrow's attention as the latter spoke up.

"Oh, snap."

"You won't take away my only chance to survive Crimson, Branwen! Rex, destroy him!"

However, Rex couldn't move as he was critically injured from Ruby's overdrive. Noticing this, Korihor then turned to Axe, Venunem, and Nico, only to find them all knocked out by the shockwave.

"Rex? Uh... Axe! Venunem? Nico? Anyone?"

Seeing the situation, Qrow spoke to him again.

"Sorry, Kori. Looks like your best men are down and out."

"Grrrrrr! I told you not to call me that! You will pay for this humiliation, Branwen! We'll all be coming for you! And your little silver-eyed girl, too!"

As Korihor started shouting vengeance upon him, Qrow felt it was getting old.

"Whatever. Come on, everyone. Let's go."

As they walked away, Korihor spoke angrily.

"Oh, don't you think you can ignore me, Branwen! The Black Dagger will come for you when you least expect it!"

As the others walked, Yang and Raven remained behind as the others passed them by before the former inquired of the latter.

"The Black Dagger, Mom?"

"It's a long story. And he's going to tell it to us on the way."

This made Korihor quiver a bit before he asked.

"Huh? On the way to where?"

"Back to our camp."

* * *

All the while, Ruby caught up to Qrow, Raider, and Skye before she spoke to her.

"Hello!"

Then, it occurred to her that she had no idea what to say to her.

"Uh... it's nice to meet you. My name's Ruby."

"I'm Skye. It's nice to meet you."

"Thanks. So, uh, what's your story?"

Skye, remembering the tragic incident that happened to her, didn't feel the need to talk about it.

"That's... not really any of your business, so..."

"Nah, it's cool. I get it."

As Raider tried to look into her life with his gazing semblance, he ended up seeing Skye being bullied and picked on before he saw her meeting a Grimm Beowulf before she turned it blue and white. Up next, he saw her trying to stop it from attacking the other kids before it showed another scene where the Beowulf attacked her father and murdered him before she tried to tell it to run away, only for it to be shot dead, as she felt a pang in her chest before her hair turned red and her skin black before she summoned a Grimm-like dragon that decimated her own hometown before being shot. After which, two red eyes appeared in Raider's consciousness before speaking.

" _Raider..."_

In reality, Raider's eyes suddenly turned bright red before he shouted in agonizing fury, catching Ruby and Skye's worry as well as Qrow's surprise.

"Raider!"

"What's going on with you, man?"

Suddenly, Raider lunged at Qrow, as he was able to get his Harbinger in time before he started practically clawing at him before Ruby grew frightened.

"Stop it, Raider! Why are you doing this?!"

Skye knew what to do as she ran to Raider and jumped onto him before he calmed down, though his growl was still present.

"It's okay, Raider. Calm down."

Suddenly, the black part of his body turned white as his eyes turned bright blue before he got off of Qrow and took a deep breath before turning to Skye.

"What... what happened?"

Qrow felt it was obvious to ask as he replied.

"That's what we wanna know. When did you ever start flipping your lid?"

"I... I don't know. All I know is that I was using my semblance to look at what she went through, and..."

That made Skye very nervous.

"You were going through my whole life?!"

As Skye started to back away, Ruby tried to calm her down.

"It's okay, Skye. We know you're not a bad person."

"You don't know anything about me!"

"You're right. We don't. But I can imagine what you went through. If it was enough to make Raider flip out like that... I can only assume you had the worst of it."

Skye was still weary about prying eyes as she spoke to Ruby.

"You're not even going to ask what I did?"

"No. Because... I did horrible things, too."

That made Skye grow surprised at how someone as sweet as her could possibly have done terrible things. Although, it's fair to make a guess with her silver eyes, but it was beside the point.

"What did you do?"

"I'd rather not discuss it. Any more than you'd discuss what you've done. Because we both know what we've did..."

With that, Ruby tensed her fist before she spoke.

"And we... we just have to live with it."

As Skye looked at her, she realized that Ruby could have a lot more in common with her than she would even imagine. With that, Ruby spoke up again.

"Let's go."

As they started walking again, Dr. Polendina places his hand on Skye, who looked to him.

"See? Even the Huntsmen understand you."

"How can I trust that? They kill Grimm."

"They do what needs to be done. They've just never known the proper solution... until now."

Then, Penny, Logan, Winter, and Weiss caught up to them before Skye turned to Winter and glared at her before Mount followed them. When she noticed him, she widened her eyes before she asked it.

"Who... who are you?"

"My name Mount."

As he knelt to her, Skye gave Mount a hug, turning his color white and turned his markings blue before Mount spoke.

"That feel good."

"I know."

With that, Winter spoke to her solemnly.

"Skye... I've been informed about everything you went through in Chrysallium... and Atlas."

Weiss and Logan grew confused about Chrysallium, having never heard of it.

"Chrysallium?"

"And while I know my word isn't good enough, I want to say that... I'm sorry for everything you went through. If you don't want to go with us, I understand."

Looking back to Ruby, Qrow, and Raider as well as Team JNPR, Skye replied to Winter.

"Thank you for understanding."

As Skye ran over to Ruby and the others, Winter took a deep breath before Weiss spoke.

"What exactly happened at Chrysallium, Winter?"

Winter gave a sad look before she replied.

"That's classified."

"Oh."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby heard Skye's voice before she turned her head.

"Ruby!"

Once she saw her, Ruby smiled at her.

"I gotta be honest. I didn't think you'd come around."

"Well, I can't blame you. So, where are we going?"

"To Haven Academy!"

* * *

As they stepped closer to their destination, none of them noticed that Salem had been watching through one of her special drones that did surveillance on them from there to Evernight Castle as she spoke.

"So, you're convinced things didn't go my way. But, on the contrary, Raider, they're going just as father planned..."

 **A/N: Say what?! Who would've thought that Salem had a father?! Well, technically, I did. As for her father's identity, it's none other than the God of Darkness himself. To reiterate those who have forgotten or those who skipped Book 1, The God of Darkness is voiced by Lee Tockar for his Makuta approach. If you want to know who voiced what original character from Book 1, I suggest you read it. In this book, though, Skye Volare (who I got permission from LongSean22 to use, and if you're wondering about her look her Grimmwalker in DeviantArt) will be voiced by Elise Baughman, Korihor by Derick Snow, Rex by Marcus Stimac, Axe by Jeff Plunk, Venunem by Chris Guerrero, and Nico by Jason Ritter. Beyond that, I will explain in future chapters. Have a nice day. :)**


	2. Welcome to Haven

**Chapter 1:** "Welcome To Haven"

As time passed, the team had to split apart for a while to get their priorities taken care of. While Weiss, Logan, Mount, and Winter went back to Vale to assist in the cleanup, Yang and Raven took Korihor captive and headed back to the main camp of the Branwen Tribe. In the meantime, Raider, Qrow, Ruby, Skye, and Team JNPR were getting very close to Mistral with Qrow and Skye looking to the horizon from in the tunnel.

"What is this place?"

"The city of Mistral, Skye."

Nora felt relieved considering their share of major events.

"Ugh! It's about time! Whose idea was it to walk again?"

Raider felt he was being accused.

"Don't look at me. I told you I haven't seen anyone from Mistral that I could go to. At least not in a long time."

Ren and Jaune, however, stood up for him.

"Well, we did face many obstacles. Broken airships, destroyed settlements, the Tenebris Comet."

"Oh, and you know, all those people and monsters that tried to murder us?"

Then, Jaune realized that Abraham and his own Grimmites were behind them and apologized.

"No offense to you guys. You're awesome."

Ruby only saw the bright side of it.

"Pfft. We were fine; only one of us almost died."

"Yeah, and she would've too, if it wasn't for me and Jaune's quick-thinking."

"Sorry, Raider."

Ren noticed Nora smiling at him and blushed.

"Hey!"

As Nora giggled, Jaune turned to Pyrrha.

"Hey. I'm sorry you didn't get back at Cinder."

"Don't be. Because next time, I won't be as careless."

Then, Skye spoke to Qrow out of curiosity.

"So, how far is it to Haven Academy?"

"Almost there. Kind of figured Raider and I'd take you kids on the scenic route."

With that, Raider stepped forward and opened the doors to Mistral. With that, Ruby and Skye ran out the door to see the city and leaned against the wooden bars.

"Wow! This. Is. Awesome!"

"I agree. It's so beautiful."

As they looked down at the people there, Qrow sang a different tune.

"It's certainly something."

Ruby noticed a blacksmith and grew ecstatic.

"Oh my gosh, look at all the weapons!"

"Vendors here will sell you just about anything, whether they should or not."

Jaune was impressed with the amount of structure around the mountains.

"They really made the most out of these mountains."

"Every inch. And stay away from the lower levels, but the higher up you go, the nicer it gets."

Then, Nora pointed up to the sky.

"And we are going up!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Winter, Weiss, Penny, Dr. Polendina, Logan, and Mount were taking an airship to a certain location, leaving the younger sister with questions.

"So, what are we doing here, Winter?"

"We haven't heard from Glynda Goodwitch in over a month since the cleanup was in full swing. We're just checking in on her."

That meant only one thing, as far as Weiss was concerned.

"Wait. We're going back to Vale?"

"But wasn't it overrun with Grimm?"

"It is. And that's all the more reason to check in."

Then, Weiss remembered what Skye did for Mount before she was let go.

"Did you really have to let her go, Winter?"

Dr. Polendina then gave the answer in her place.

"Yes. Because she's not a weapon, any more than Penny was. Our soldiers learned that the hard way."

As they got closer to Vale, they noticed it not only overrun with Grimm, but they also made up what's left of it as they roamed in the streets and were being petted by Salem's Grimmites. This made Mount happy on one hand at the prospect of relatives, but frightened on the other because of their current opposition. As Mount shivered, Winter knee the best distance to avoid being spotted.

"We'd better land there. Under the cover of the fog, they won't see us."

With that, the airship powered down and landed in an area occupied by trees as unbeknownst to them, a certain vengeful Grimmite watched from afar.

"Nice try."

Then, he flipped the coin on his hand and when it landed, it was showing the human side of it before he sighed.

"Welcome to Vale."

* * *

Meanwhile at Haven, Ruby, Team JNPR, Skye, Raider, and Qrow we're near the gates of the school before Raider turned to Abraham and his army.

"You might find it best to wait here until I give the all-clear, Abraham. I don't know how the headmaster will react to... _this._ "

"Understood, my friend. Until then, we shall remain here."

"Alright, then."

With that, Raider followed the others back in before he noticed that they'd stopped. When he looked ahead, he saw Ruby shedding a small tear before wiping it away before he checked with her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. We made it."

And apparently just in time as the door opened to reveal Leo Lionheart.

"Hello, all. Glad you could make it."

From what she knew about Huntsmen, Skye could make a guess about who he was.

"Are you... the headmaster of Haven?"

"Why, yes I am."

Then, Raider stepped up before speaking sarcastically.

"Not much seems to have changed, old timer."

Then, Lionheart noticed him and spoke to him.

"Ah, Raider! Our star student. I'm surprised to see you after you dropped out."

That made Pyrrha curious.

"You dropped out?"

As Raider sighed in annoyance, Lionheart spoke again.

"You all must be tired. Please, come in."

As they walked in, Qrow and Raider noticed a lack of students as they proceeded.

Inside the academy, Ruby tried to see if anyone else was here.

"Hello? Hello?!"

This made Raider cover his ears.

"If anyone didn't hear that, then they're not here, Ruby."

"Sorry."

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here."

Lionheart heard this and explained.

"Lately, I've had a short amount of students. In fact, they're all guarding the relic."

This made Qrow confused.

"Now, why would you enlist some kids to guard the relic?"

"Because, Qrow, half of our staff is getting acquainted with... another guest."

"Like who?"

With that, the door opened to reveal a man with brown hair and yellow eyes wearing a light green robe and holding a cane with a Beowulf's head on it. Accompanying him are a man with silver hair and blue irises and a woman with brown hair and blue eyes. Qrow felt it odd to see one new face.

"Really? That's your 'other guest?'"

The guest hmph'd at Qrow before he suddenly tripped him with his cane.

"You would do well to respect your elders."

Then, Lionheart spoke to Qrow as he stood up.

"Qrow, this is Professor Karse. Although, he doesn't teach at any Huntsman Academy, he claims to be well-versed in all things Grimm."

That made Skye somewhat doubtful.

"Are you sure?"

Karse then noticed the young girl and grew surprised as he gasped.

"Glory to Coleum! Young one, may I see your markings?"

Skye was hesitant at first, before she agreed by unfurling the bandages on her arm, allowing him to take a look.

"I never thought this day would come."

"What day?"

"The day that the Grimmwalker should walk upon Remnant again."

This made Nora confused as she spoke to Ruby.

"So... is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"

* * *

At Menagerie, Sun and Ghira were appalled with the latest failure to stop Crimson.

"Unbelievable!"

"Total garbage!"

"WE CAN'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

Kali looked at the bright side of this.

"Well, at least you two finally agree on something."

The two turned to her before they looked at each other. As Sun grew embarrassed, Ghira sighed before Blake spoke as she walked to them.

"Guys. Everything's going to be okay."

Later, Blake went out to the patio where the guard spoke to her.

"Good evening, Miss. Can I get you anything?"

"Just a little time to myself, if that's alright."

"Sure thing. Just call if you need me."

As the guard walked in, Blake sighed before Illia spoke.

"You need better security."

Once she landed on a wooden plank, Blake reached for her weapon before Illia spoke.

"Please. I-I just need to talk."

Blake then took a few steps back calmly before she spoke.

"How could you take the fall for him, Illia?"

"Blake..."

"Crimson attacked you and now he's using you? He's clearly up to something. We confronted Corsac and Fennec tonight, and they deny knowing anything about Crimson. Th-They talked about how disappointed they were to hear that you lost your scroll to him. But you and I both know Crimson's a monster."

"You can't prove anything."

"That scroll might not have been enough to lock him up, but it's enough to sway the Faunus here. And Crimson knows it. When we go public tomorrow, they're not going to stand for any of it. And neither should you."

Illia only removed her mask before she spoke.

"Your plan isn't gonna work, Blake. Please. Just leave Menagerie before it's too late."

Blake let the silence hang in the air before she spoke.

"You're going to have to make me."

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I have to keep Skye safe."

With that, Illia put her mask back on before she leaped out of view, leaving Blake to feel sorry for her as she sighed.

* * *

At Haven, Skye was curious and abundant in questions.

"What is a Grimmwalker? Does it have anything to do with my markings?"

"That all depends. What is your favorite fairy tale?"

Having heard it before, Qrow felt he was telling the story of the four maidens.

"Ugh, I don't need to hear the same story over and over again."

Karse knew he wasn't quite correct as he spoke.

"This isn't the story of the Four Maidens, young man. This story had only been told to my people... until now."

This made Qrow perk up before he spoke.

"Well, I'm hooked."

Karse was beginning to tell his story as they all sat down.

"In the time before time, there was nothing. Until the great spirit known as the God of Light, Coleum, gave birth to creation. He created the lush landscape of wildlife and nature. Then, came the younger brother known as the God of Darkness, Nigreos. He was disgusted with the blessing of Creation and used the powers of Destruction to undo them. The very next day, Coleum restored it. The cycle repeated daily and nightly until Nigreos had had enough. With that, he created the Tenebris Comet to corrupt the creations of life and mold them into the Grimm. With that, they were only given one goal; to annihilate any and all creation. This was the last straw for Coleum and the two brothers fought until he came close to delivering a fatal blow to him. Instead of finishing the battle, he made a proposal to make one last creation together, one they could both be proud of: humanity. But, like night and day, humanity had two selves. The Remnants, created by Coleum and the Grimmites, created by Nigreos. When we both started, we were lost and without purpose. So, the Brothers illuminated us with the four virtues, as well as the relics associated with them. Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice. We embraced these gifts and in gratitude, the Grimmites named their island home Coleum, after the Great Spirit himself."

Skye was growing more infatuated with them and grew happy for them until she realized that this is one story without a happy ending.

"What happened to them then?"

"As you are right to guess, our happiness was not to last. For Nigreos was jealous of these honors and betrayed him. As Coleum chose his champion, Nigreos had sired a daughter from the Remnants named Salem and corrupted her with the same venom that filled the pools of Grimm and the Tenebris Comet. Coleum's champion tried her best to defeat her, but it was in vain. Unaware of his younger brother's plots, Coleum and Nigreos cursed the champion to reincarnate until Salem is defeated. As he knew it weakened his powers, Nigreos took advantage and casted a spell over humanity, separating the Remnants from the Grimmites and caused the latter to fall into a deep slumber. With that, the Brother was free to unleash his shadows, and unleash them he did. However, Coleum had not given up. He used what remained of his powers that kept him in our realm to create four Huntsmen Academies to protect the relics and create an army that will defeat the Grimm. When time came for the final battle, Nigreos attempted to destroy the first Huntsmen, but Coleum put an end to it by forcing him into another dimension. But in so doing, he has outlived his time on Remnant and was forced to leave this realm altogether, leading to the present-day Remnant in which you stand now."

Skye has to admit she never looked at the Grimm that way before, and neither did her company, but was still stuck on one thing.

"Wow. But... what does this have to do with me?"

"Before his brother's betrayal, Coleum used his powers to bless a Grimmite that saw little to no value in their creation. With that, the first Grimmwalker is born. She used those powers to give the Grimm purpose and peace, the two things that Nigreos detested. As such, he had cast her asleep along with the Grimmites to ensure they didn't take place, but not before she was able to send her daughter to the Remnants in order to keep her safe from his spell."

"But if they were asleep for so long, how did they wake up?"

"The Tenebris Comet. In preparation for its landing, Nigreos awoke them only to one cause: Destruction of all life. But, thanks to the four virtues they were given, most of them were able to stray from that cause. As did your ancestor."

Qrow then spoke to Karse.

"And that's why we've got a handful of Grimmites on both sides, is that right?"

"Yes. Now you're paying attention."

As Karse chuckled, Qrow felt bitter toward him before Lionheart spoke.

"Well, I'm sure that is a fascinating story, but we have bigger issues to take care of."

"Is that why you haven't checked in with Oz for ages?"

Raider turned to Qrow before he tried to speak.

"Qrow..."

"There was nothing to check in about before the Fall of Beacon, but since that day, Mistral has been in chaos!"

This made Raider and Skye ask at the same time.

"What are you talking about?"

"Vale wasn't the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian knights attacking citizens, but the big finish was a Huntsman that is part Grimm, standing against his fellow man. And then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air."

Skye and Raider then brought up notes on what they'd witnessed.

"Well, Penny's been put back together since then. I saw her again not too long ago."

"And I'd hardly call Cinder a fellow after what she's done to Vale."

As Skye held her head down from Raider's words, Lionheart continued onward.

"I don't doubt that. Anyway, with all that negativity, you can imagine what it was like when the Grimm came for us. Straight to the Academy. Worst of all, a Grimmite was leading them."

Qrow can make a guess about who he was.

"Crimson."

"Exactly. We were lucky to hold them off, but Crimson swore he'd be back another day to tear Haven apart. Mistral's controlled territory is the wisest reaching in the world, you know, and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great Huntsmen to him, teachers from this very institution, and now that Remnant knows about the Grimmites, it's only gotten worse."

Ruby grew curious about the reason.

"What do you mean?"

"We may have dealt with Crimson and the Grimm, but the Mistral council's still at odds with representatives from Atlas. First, it was the dust embargo. Then, it's the closing of borders. And now, Barak."

"Barak?"

"Before the Fall of Beacon, he always detested Huntsmen, but now, he hates them with great vengeance. And he's convinced that the Grimmites evolved from them, which makes his acrimony even worse."

Skye, having seen him a few times rambling at Atlas Academy, could imagine that.

"I don't doubt that."

"Now, I'm not sure what happened to James in Vale, but it seems to have only worsened one of his more... unfortunate tendencies."

Raider tried to justify his 'tendencies' given the seriousness.

"He's just trying to do his job."

"Well, that's easy for you to say, Raider. One can assume you never needed dust to help you. And, on top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring and Winter Maidens are."

This made Ruby tense her fist before she spoke.

"I do. Well, one of them. The Spring Maiden."

This made Lionheart ecstatic before he spoke.

"You do?! Oh, this is incredible news! Where?!"

As Lionheart held onto the girl's arms, she shook them off.

"She's dead. Raven made sure of that."

This made Lionheart surprised.

"What?"

"My mom, Summer Rose, was the Spring Maiden, but Raven took that away from her and killed my mom when she didn't agree with her."

This made Lionheart sigh before he spoke.

"No, Ruby... you've got it all wrong."

"What? What are you talking about?! Raven took those powers away from her!"

"Your mother wasn't the Spring Maiden to begin with."

This made Ruby shocked as she widened her eyes before he explained.

"Your mother was assigned to _protect_ the Spring Maiden."

Skye grew curious about them as she spoke.

"What happened to them?"

"She was determined at first when she inherited her powers, but the weight of responsibility proved to be too much for the child. She... ran. Abandoned her training, everyone. Your mother was the first to run after her, and we haven't seen either one since. That was over a decade ago."

"So... my mom... was never the Spring Maiden? She was just protecting her?"

"Yes. I'm very sorry for your loss."

As Qrow grew dumbfounded by that detail, Ruby held her head down, Skye tried to comfort her just as she murmured.

"So Salem _was_ using me this whole time..."

That caught Skye, Karse, and Lionheart by surprise as the last of the three nearly had a heart attack.

"Salem?!"

Realizing she'd been careless, Ruby tried to brush it off.

"Never mind. I... need some time to myself."

With that, Ruby walked out the door as Skye looked on sadly before Lionheart looked to Raider.

"Did you know about this?!"

"It was a recent development. She turned her back on her in Kuroyuri, though. Besides, things have been tough all over for us. Ruby, most of all."

Then, Skye spoke to Lionheart.

"So, I know what they can do, but why are the Maidens so important?"

After catching his breath from Ruby's casual slipup about Salem, she spoke to the young girl.

"The Four Maidens each have the power to perform feats of magic, and _they_ are the only ones capable of reaching the relics."

"What?"

Qrow then explained further to Skye.

"It's simple. The relics are each locked inside a chamber that can be opened by a specific maiden. Winter for the gift of Creation, Summer for Destruction, Fall for Choice, and Spring for Knowledge. Spring is the problem, especially since she went back to her tribe. Hopefully, it won't take too long for them to get them to change their minds."

With that, Qrow set up a hologram of where their hangout is.

"That's about where they've set up their main camp. It's where they fall back to after raids, scouting missions, and turf battles with the Black Dagger led by Korihor. Raven's managed to gain a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and with her being the Spring Maiden, it only made things easier."

Lionheart then have his two cents to Qrow. With these coordinates, we can mount a full retrieval force and head out in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?"

"That's right."

As he deactivated the hologram, Qrow felt outraged.

"Maybe you didn't hear me. My sister's the Spring Maiden and I know where she is. We need to go as soon as possible!"

As Qrow swiped the books off the table, Raider then spoke to him about his weapon's specialty as he unsheathed it.

"Traveling won't be a problem. With my Armageddon, we can get there in a flash."

"Perhaps, but with Barak around, it won't be that simple. This kingdom is in shambles. As soon as possible does not mean tomorrow, it means as soon as I can convince the rest of the council _and_ Barak that I need Huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandit tribes aren't very high on the list of 'priorities' when the threat of war is just on the horizon."

This made Karse think of a solution.

"Then forget the council. You and Qrow are trained Huntsmen, these children have no doubt demonstrated their valor in the Fall of Beacon, and this young girl has special talents that you cannot comprehend anymore than you could comprehend Salem's."

Nora pumped her fist up at Karse words while Ren felt rushed into it.

"Yeah! Thanks, old timer! No offense."

"Perhaps there's a more peaceful way to approach this?"

"If there were such a path, young man, don't you think I'd have suggested this? By all accounts, we must bring the Spring Maiden here if for no other reason than to get the Relic of Knowledge away from Salem's Master."

With that, Lionheart spoke up.

"Unfortunately, Qrow and his sister are evenly matched, and I'm not the fighter that I used to be. No offense, but these students and I can't take on an entire bandit tribe and a Maiden that's no doubt had years to hone her skills."

Raider begged to differ.

"We just encountered the Black Dagger on our way here just to save Skye."

Qrow added in Ruby's role in it.

"Not to mention that Ruby just scattered the Black Dagger away like flies."

This made Lionheart surprised but knew it made sense considering a tremor.

"So, she made that shockwave?"

"Yep. And it was a dang good one at that."

This made Lionheart look to Karse who nodded before he spoke.

"Amazing... In that case, I won't stop you. But I'll still need to convince the council to gather more Huntsmen. With what's left of us guarding the relic, I can't risk it being taken."

Then, Pyrrha spoke to him about a certain Maiden that had half of her powers.

"What about Cinder? She came with Mercury and Emerald from Haven. Do you have anything on her?"

"We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries. Apparently, the original ones dated back to a decade ago. Raider here knew them the longest and was the most hurt by their betrayal, as you can see."

As Skye looked at Raider and saw him tense his fists, Qrow looked to the team in the room and sighed before he spoke.

"Well, I can't say this has been a warm reunion, Leo."

"I'm sorry. I know you've all traveled a long way. And I'll do everything I can to help."

"Sure. We'll stay in the city for the time being. Local comms are still up. Keep in touch. C'mon kids."

As they all walked out, Skye turned to Raider.

"Are you coming?"

"You just go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Then, Skye turned to Lionheart before she spoke.

"It was nice meeting you, Professor."

"Likewise. Shiro, Heather, can you escort them off the Academy?"

"Okay. You're the boss."

"Sure thing."

With that, they all walked out as Raider turned invisible before the door closed. At that moment, a voice message from Watts spoke to him.

"Oh, Leo. We have got to work on your improvisational skills."

"Such as?"

"You seemed too ecstatic for them to take charge in place of the council."

"What else was I supposed to say? I didn't exactly become a Headmaster for nothing."

"And here I thought you're not the fighter you used to be. In any case, you can expect Salem tomorrow morning."

As the feed turned off, Raider turned visible before Lionheart looked up to him as he sat down.

"So... Salem onto you yet?"

"Not quite yet, Raider. But she's getting dangerously close. It's only a matter of time."

"Which is why the sooner we know what she's up to, the better. I won't let her get away with what she did to those Huntsmen. What she did to Cinder."

This made Lionheart think about the possibility that he still had feelings for her.

"So... you still miss her."

Raider only glared at him as his red eye showed on his Grimm side.

"No. I don't. She used me."

"Did that ever stop you from having a heart?"

Raider tensed his hand before he spoke.

"The only reason I have a heart is because I chose not to give it up. Cinder's a different story."

"But that story isn't over, now is it?"

Raider only got up from his chair and spoke.

"I'm getting tired of this conversation, Leo. If you'll excuse me..."

With that, Raider walked out of the room and joined Qrow and the others outside as they waited for him before Skye spoke.

"So, what do we do now?"

Raider only sighed at her given both situations.

"I don't know. You guys head back to the house. I'll check on Ruby."

As Raider walked out, Skye ran to him, catching his attention.

"Can I go with you? Ruby's... I'm just worried for her."

Raider only sighed after a moment before he agreed.

"Fine. But after that, you two head back to the house. I've got some thinking to do."

As the two walked out, Qrow spoke up.

"While they're doing that, I need a drink."

* * *

Outside the Academy, Ruby looked at the sky before she heard a voice in her head.

" _You can't save them all, Rose..."_

Ruby had had nightmares of that voice for the past month since Kuroyuri, so she was accustomed to it, although she didn't expect to hear him in daytime.

"And what do you mean by that?"

" _You can only save those that want to be saved."_

"Alright. Let's say I listened to you. How would I do it?"

" _Bring me the relic of knowledge, Rose. Bring it to me and you won't lose your friends."_

"No! My friends... I won't let them down like Cinder did hers."

" _You'll fail them all if you refuse. For the relic, your friends and Yang will be spared. Don't be a fool."_

Ruby only shouted at the voice as he held her head.

"In that case, you can forget about that relic! I'll die before I give it to you!"

Just then, Raider spoke to her.

"Ruby?"

That made Ruby jump back in surprise before she noticed the two of them.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh... Yeah! Wh-what made you think I wasn't?"

Skye felt it was obvious.

"You were shouting at yourself."

Raider tried to get to the root of the problem.

"What's going on with you? Ever since you bonded with that Comet, you've been acting weird."

Ruby only sighed before she spoke.

"Salem... she used me just to prove a point. I thought she actually cared about me when I was brought to her. But it was all a lie. And... since then I could still see her. Trying to win me over again."

As Ruby began to sob lightly, Skye hugged her before she spoke.

"Don't worry, Ruby. We won't let her get you."

As Raider walked away, he couldn't help but get the feeling that Ruby wasn't being truthful as he walked out of the Academy and spoke to Abraham.

"Abraham, make sure they get back to the house safely."

"And what about you? Are you alright?"

"I don't know. Somehow, I'm can't help but feel that Ruby's not telling us the whole story."

With that, Raider walked down to Mistral. In the meantime, Nigreos wasn't pleased with her choice as his dark silhouette appeared in the shadows.

"My good will refused. My noble child raised by _heathens_. So my hand is cast..."

* * *

At a bar, Raider was telling Qrow about Ruby's behavior and her excuse.

"Well, that doesn't sound like her. And you're sure of that?"

"Yeah. I know she's been through torture since Kuroyuri, but I still don't feel like she's being honest with us."

"Well, maybe she's just trying to readjust."

"I wish Ozpin would be here to help us out with this."

Just then, a familiar voice spoke to them.

"Excuse me?"

With that, Raider and Qrow turned to see none other than Oscar as the former spoke.

"Well, well, well. Good to see you, Oscar."

"You know, I don't think they allow kids in here, pipsqueak."

"Shut up. I'm getting there."

Raider then remembered he had a theory about him when they first met and wanted to confirm it.

"So... was there anything _he_ has to say?"

"Um... I'm supposed to tell you... I'd... like my cane back?"

That made Qrow widen his eyes in surprise while Raider smiled before the two got up and the former handed him what was his as it extended the wooden end with his touch.

"It's good to see you again, Oz."

"I agree. We could really use you right about now."

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang, Raven, and Korihor were walking back to the main camp as the daughter spoke to the prisoner.

"So, how did this business with you and the Black Dagger start?"

"Hmph! I never thought a daughter of a Branwen would be interested."

"Technically, I'm not a Branwen."

"Oh. That makes sense. Anyway, it all started when we found the Spring Maiden."

"You mean Summer?"

"No. The Spring Maiden. Keep up, why don't you? Anyway, we took her in and tried to teach her to use her powers, but they were... less than exceptional. Then came Summer Rose. The moment she found out who your mother was working for, she wanted us dead, so she started going crazy on us. Her brother Crimson wasn't far behind. In fact, he only just arrived to see Raven strike down both the Spring Maiden _and_ her protector. Crimson got the wrong idea and assumed she was the Spring Maiden. I mean, didn't Ozpin ever tell him?"

As he continued on in the story, Yang widened her eyes higher and higher before turning to her mother and glaring at her at which she held her head down in shame.

"In any case, long story short, this was all your mother's fault. So you can blame her if Crimson guts you down like he'll do to all of us."

With that, Raven took her turn to speak to him.

"Well, you're not wrong. But we're going to put an end to that."

"Oh? And what exactly is your plan to do that, genius? Crimson can pop up anywhere at anytime!"

"And when that happens..."

Suddenly, a huge shadow came over Korihor before he looked up and noticed that they were at the gates of their main camp.

"...we'll be ready."

* * *

At Haven, Team JNPR waited in the living room for Ruby, Skye, Raider, and Qrow when they heard a knock on the door. They were anxious at first before Jaune got up and slowly walked to the door before opening it to reveal Ruby, Skye, Raider, and Oscar. When Jaune looked back to Pyrrha, she just shrugged her shoulders about the new kid before Jaune inquired of him.

"Can I... help you?"

Next, Raider spoke up.

"Everyone, this is Oscar Pine. He's actually..."

Before he could finish, Qrow arrived in a drunken state.

"I found him! Pfft! Ha-ha-ha-ha."

Ruby can make a guess to his behavior.

"Qrow, did you eat drink again?"

"Maybe..."

After Raider sighed exasperatedly, he spoke onward as Qrow plopped on the couch.

"I found him."

"Anyway, like Qrow said, we found him."

"Wait for it..."

"And apparently, he's also known as Professor Ozpin."

With that, as everyone put on a look of surprise, Qrow began laughing hard again.

"I did it!"

Suddenly, he got unconscious and fell to the floor, catching Nora by surprise.

"Oh!"

 **A/N: Hello. It seems like Raider's getting suspicious about Ruby. It's only a matter of time before she is discovered now. Anyway, Karse will be voiced by Christopher Gaze while Barak, who is to arrive in a later episode, will be voiced by Fred Tatasciore to give him a C.L.U. like vibe for him. Hopefully, chapter 2 will come sooner rather than later. Enjoy. :)**


	3. Dread in the Air

**Chapter 2:** "Dread in the Air"

The next morning, Shiro and Heather heard footsteps coming from afar and looked to see Arthur Watts walking toward them. Heather grew suspicious as she and Shiro stood in his way.

"Who are you?"

"No need to be in suspense. It is only Arthur Watts."

Having been told of him a day prior, they move out of the way with Heather speaking.

"You're free to go in."

"Thank you."

With that, he stepped in the Academy's gates as Shiro and Heather look to each other.

Inside the Academy, Lionheart was looking at his pocketwatch before Watts spoke.

"Are we ready?"

With that, Lionheart looked up to him and spoke.

"I'd say we're on time, yes."

With that, Watts smirked before a secret door opened and the two of them walked toward the entrance until they finally encounter one of Salem's drones that seemed to be waiting before Watts urged him.

"After you."

Lionheart glared at him before he walked up to it and spoke.

"Your Grace. Are... you there?"

With that, the black haze faded away before showing Salem and Cinder's faces as the former spoke.

"Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?"

"Of course, ma'am. I would not waste your time, if not."

In the meantime, Watts was interested in the drone.

"I'm still just so fascinated by this creature. Cinder, dear, are-are we coming through? Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can."

Cinder wasn't amused with it, but reigned in her temper before speaking.

"What do you think?"

This caught Watts by surprise before he spoke.

"Well! I don't know how you did it, but you finally reigned in that temper of yours. Congratulations."

With that, Salem spoke next to Lionheart.

"Your report. What is it?"

"I've found the Spring Maiden. Which means we will have three soon. Perhaps even all four of them."

This pleased Salem as she spoke.

"Is that so? Well done. Arthur, had I known how useful you'd be in expediting this process, I would've sent you long, long ago."

"As much as I'd love to take credit, ma'am, I can't say either of us are to thank for this development. I guess you could say a little birdie told us."

To Salem, this could only mean one thing.

"Qrow."

"That's right. And Raider is with him as well."

As struck by remembrance as she was, Cinder was stuck on someone else at the moment. Well, two people to be aware of.

"Is... the girl... with him?"

Watts answered Cinder for Lionheart.

"Yes, Miss Rose was in attendance."

Knowing he got it wrong, Cinder spoke tensely at him.

"Her name is _Ruby_ , Watts."

"Well, excuse me. You were talking about her, weren't you?"

"Not that time. I meant the Grimmwalker."

"Hmm. But, of course."

Before Cinder could speak more, Salem raised her hand before she spoke to Lionheart.

"And you know of the tribe's location?"

"Yes. They're planning to go there in a week's time. They're already familiar with the Black Dagger before they came here. I was told that Ruby bested Korihor's men."

"Was his Winter Maiden involved?"

"Not that I know of. They had no mention of her. On the bright side, they have no idea about her being in Korihor's tribe, either."

This gave Salem an idea.

"Why don't you go along with them?"

This caught Lionheart by surprise as he spoke.

"I, uh, beg your pardon?"

"You do need the Spring Maiden to obtain that relic, after all. It wouldn't kill you to lend a helping hand."

With that, Lionheart put on a look of determination before speaking.

"Consider it done, then."

"And while you do that... Cinder, you and your team will meet with Gath and together convince Korihor that the survival of his people depends on his cooperation. Once you have Winter under control, escort her to the relic in Atlas and contact Crimson. He will pass the news on to Adam and Hazel that the Spring Maiden has made contact with the relic. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and they'll have it once we have what we need."

Watts then spoke to his leader.

"Understood."

However, Salem had other plans.

"Not you, Arthur. At least not yet. Barak needs his guide that knows Mistral better than anyone."

"What happened to his old one?"

"He just found out too much."

That made Watts more interested in him before he spoke.

"Ah. Well, he's on the top of my list, I suppose.

This made Cinder concerned for Ruby as she grunted out of fear before Watts took notice and spoke.

"Oh, don't worry. Your little rose will be far out of his way by the time I bring him with. In any case, it will be done."

"Good."

As the face of Salem faded into black, Watts turned to Lionheart.

"Seems you were right, Lionheart. He really hates Huntsmen."

* * *

At Evernight Castle, Salem turned to Cinder.

"You're free to speak your mind."

Cinder was hesitant at first before she spoke.

"I don't understand. Working with bandits? Bringing Barak into this? What's the point? We're strong enough to take what we want by force!"

"Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Crimson. Like Lionheart, he was one of Ozpin's most trusted, and yet now..."

Cinder could already guess what happened to him.

"He's a psychopath. What if he goes after Ruby?"

That made Salem hazard a guess as to how Cinder truly felt about Ruby.

"I get it. Ever since she was by your side, you just couldn't get over her. Any more than you could get over Raider."

This made her remember when she used him and betrayed him at Mistral a long time ago before she spoke.

"N-No! It's... it's not like that."

Salem giggled at her before she spoke.

"Sure it isn't. Either way, you will have the power I promised you when the time is right. But remember that it comes with a cost. Since Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours. There's only so much I can do to aid you. It is the same circumstance with you about Ruby. She has her mission just like everyone else."

"Mission? But... I thought..."

"It was actually part of the plan."

"How do you know?"

"Because, she's the one who told it to me."

This made Cinder widen her eyes before she spoke.

"Well, why didn't she speak with us then?"

"She's reporting to a higher chain of command. My father, Nigreos."

"Nigreos? He's your father?"

"Yes, that's right. Although, admittedly, Ruby is being... difficult at the moment. Thus far, she's rebuffed his orders. But that's to be expected. In time, I'm sure she'll come around."

Cinder only took a deep breath before she bowed to her and walked out.

"And Cinder, before you go, inform Whitley that I wish to have a word with him."

Cinder then nodded to her before she walked out and closed the door. Then she took a deep breath and walked forward, knowing of Ruby's role in her scheme.

* * *

At what's left of Vale, Weiss, Logan, Winter, and Mount were sneaking inside the buildings undetected as Winter turned to them.

"Okay. While Penny and Dr. Polendina get backup over here, we're on our own. If we split up, we should be able to cover more ground."

Logan whispered his opinion.

"But isn't that a bad idea? I mean, I'm not sure Mount can be quiet by himself. Also, he's a walking white and blue target."

Mount could agree with him.

"It's true."

"He won't be by himself. We'll split up in teams of two. Logan, you'll go with Weiss while Mount goes with me."

This made Logan blush madly before he tried to change her mind.

"Uh, are you sure? Mount is my wingman, after all."

"Well, then he'll know where to find you."

Suddenly, Weiss looked up at the air before she noticed a Nevermore.

"Look out!"

With that, the Nevermore swooped down toward them only to swerve up and go after another airship that came near the area. That gave Winter a clue about what happened to the other transports.

"Looks like they've been target practice all this time."

That was proven as a radio link came up from far away as it echoed.

"Mayday, mayday! We are a small passenger flight, and our Huntress is down! We aren't equipped to deal with this!"

This made Logan gasp at recognizing her voice.

"Ellie?!"

Mount grew worried too as he spoke before Weiss grew confused.

"Oh, no..."

"Who's Ellie?"

"My sister. She left Mistral to make a better living. What's she doing here?"

"The Grimm hit us 400 klicks north of Vale!"

Suddenly, as the Nevermore tore apart the ship, there was an explosion before Ellie spoke again.

"AHH! Get them off us! If anyone can hear this—"

Suddenly, another explosion occurred before the ship finally came crashing down near their location as the Grimm and Grimmites swarmed around them with Logan tensing his fist as he shed a tear.

"I'm going out there!"

That forced Winter to clutch his hand.

"Hold it. We have to put our feelings aside if we're going to help anyone."

"But she's right there!"

"I know. But we can't resort to violence when it's not necessary."

That didn't help Logan calm down as he wrestled his arm away from Winter before Weiss spoke to him.

"She'll be okay, Logan. The sooner we come up with a solution and help them, the sooner we can get back to doing what we're here to do."

Winter could only care about the mission, but she'd get into a fight with Weiss in the process, and that could blow their cover, so she sighed before speaking.

"Actually, we could do both. Mount and I will look for Glynda Goodwitch as planned while you two figure something out to help her."

This made Weiss smile at her before she nodded to her. With that, Logan and Weiss snuck over to where the crash was while Winter and Mount snuck the other way. As they did, Ellie tried desperately to get out as Gath walked over to her and the downed Huntress with raven hair and a black outfit while he dragged his sword on the ground before he glared at them.

"It seems we have new guests..."

He then chuckled darkly before he spoke again.

"Take them to Crimson."

That made Weiss and Logan widen their eyes.

"Crimson? Raven's brother?"

"What's he got to do with this?"

Just then, Crimson appeared before he spoke.

"Anyone call me?"

Gath and his army turned to Crimson in reverence as he walked over to them.

"We've picked up two intruders within these walls."

Upon inspection, he recognized Ellie's face and caressed it with his claw, scaring her as she whimpered.

"Who are you, really?"

The frightened girl tried to answer as her face was .

"I-I'm Eliana C-Cross."

"Hmm. For some reason, you remind me of someone."

As Ellie whimpered, Crimson drew his claw away and clenched it as he took a deep breath.

"Never mind. Send her and her friend to the cells at the tower. Keep them there until I return from Menagerie. I've got important business with the White Fang."

This confused Gath as he spoke to him.

"But I thought they were your enemies?"

"Oh, they are. But Adam... he can make it better."

Logan whispered under his breath at that mention.

"Adam Taurus is in on it, too?"

Gath then spoke again.

"I see. We shall keep watch until your return or any change in development from Salem."

"Perfect. With any luck, it won't take too long."

Suddenly, Crimson vanished in a white flash before Weiss and Logan knelt back down.

"This is way bigger than we thought."

"Yeah. What are we supposed to do with that?"

"Just what we can do for the moment."

Then, Weiss turned to Ellie as she and her Huntress was escorted by Gath.

"It's all any of us can."

* * *

At Menagerie, Adam was on a rooftop before he heard a whoosh behind him. He knew the name all too well before he turned to him and spoke.

"Crimson."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh, don't tell me you forgot our little history?"

* * *

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lionized"**_

 _At Menagerie, Adam, Ghira, Illia, and Sienna Kahn were under fire from the Black Dagger bandits as the second of the group tried to reason with them._

" _Please, were just trying to pass through!"_

 _They didn't listen as a bullet hit the windshield before he retorted._

" _Well, you animals passed through the wrong town!"_

" _There's no need for violence!"_

 _However, the bandit shot at Ghira and wounded him before Sienna Kahn nodded to Adam and he moved in. Once he did, he kicked his gun up before kicking him down and another bandit shot at him, only for Adam to block the bullet and knock her into the tree whilst holding the scabbard at her throat while Ghira and Sienna watched._

" _ **Surrounded by weaklings pathetic and oppressed**_

 _ **Satisfied to gnaw the scraps afraid to leave the nest"**_

 _Just as another bandit shot at him, he countered with his sword and tripped her before knocking her to the air and kicking her to the ground. Then, under fire, Adam swiftly dodged the bullets before leaping into a tree and used it to kick him in the head before he moved on to another bandit as he blocked their Buckley's and used the gun feature if his scabbard to launch the blunt end of the sword at her and knock her down before he caught it and smirked as he then moved closer to one other bandit who got his sword out and in each time a shot was made at point blank range._

" _ **You'll see - I'm their hero I'll be lionized**_

 _ **I have the strength to do what's needed**_

 _ **Unify our people with no compromise**_

 _ **Champion the truth until they recognize"**_

 _With that, the bandit that shot Ghira moved in to fire again as he shouted only for Adan's mask, hair, and cloak glowed red before he performed a red aura slash that shed blood on the truck cargo where the slash was made as blood leaked out from him._

" _ **Lead them to salvation and regain our lives"**_

 _ **Break**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lionized"**_

 _Far away, Crimson, wearing a black cloak over him, noticed this and smiled to himself._

" _I was there when I saw you kill that trash before I killed two more."_

 _To reiterate this, the remaining bandits ran away before the girl spoke._

" _You're all freaks!"_

 _Then, the two bandits were gripped by Crimson as he spoke._

" _You sure about that? As far as I'm concerned, the only freaks here... are you."_

 _With that, he instantly broke their necks like an egg before dropping them to the ground as he stepped forward._

" _Then, we had a spar."_

 _Adam grew threatened by him._

" _Who are you?!"_

" _Someone who knows true power when he sees it. In fact... I'd like you to show it to me."_

 _Adam smirked before speaking._

" _Suit yourself."_

 _ **Continue**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lionized"**_

 _With that, Adam moved in to him, much to Ghira's chagrin._

" _No, Adam!"_

 _Adam didn't listen and moved in and made the first slash as Crimson used his claw to block it before doing a backhand slash on his chest, forcing him back before Adam found himself under fire from his black talons being launched from his Grimm hand like bullets. Fortunately, he was swift enough to use his sword and block the projectiles as the others took cover._

" _ **Behold your flaccid leaders, too weak to take the prize**_

 _ **Replace them with a warrior it's time we mobilize"**_

 _As Adam got close enough, he tripped him and kicked him to the sky before trying to kick him down, only for Crimson to grab his leg and flip it before pressing his foot on his chest. Adam then pointed his scabbard at Crimson before firing it, knocking him away before getting his sword and pointed it at him as he then glowed red and performed an aura slash only for Crimson to vanish in a white haze just in time, resulting in the tree behind him being cut down._

" _ **Depose the feeble cowards, heed this battle cry**_

 _ **Vengeance on the human filth, the time is now we'll rise"**_

 _Then, Crimson reappeared again in front of him before he clutched his throat and spoke._

" _Was that really your best?"_

 _Adam only kicked him in the face, breaking his mask before he backed away. Once Adam got a good look at his face which revealed a red eye and a red-orange one with a wolf ear on the Grimm side before he spoke._

" _What are you?"_

" _Just a kindred spirit."_

 _Crimson then smirked before he teleported again and tripped him before gripping his collar and tossing him to the tree before Crimson closed in claw first._

" _ **I'm here, I'm your savior, I'll be lionized**_

 _ **I am the part to reclamation"**_

 _Adam was then forced to move away before Crimson could slash at him. Then, Crimson and Adam clashed sword and claw with each other each using their fists to attempt to punch the other in the gut before they collided with shockwaves intensifying as the force of the clashes heightened due to the strengths that rivaled each other. Crimson then did a headbutt to Adam before he took advantage of the staggering and used it to knock Adan's sword away before he fired his black talons at Adam trapping his jacket to the ground as he walked up and pointed his claw at him. Adam then forsook his jacket before rolling on the ground and moving in to kick his back to the ground swiftly._

" _ **This world will have no peace 'til our dream's realized**_

 _ **No mercy, no compassion, our fate's justified**_

 _ **Time to turn the table on who's tyrannized!"**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lionized"**_

 _As Adam panted, Crimson made a chuckle which heightened to proud laughter before he stood up and clapped his hands._

" _Well done. No wonder you Faunus deserve the world."_

 _This comment caught Adam by surprise._

" _What? What was the point of all this?"_

" _A test. And you passed. Congratulations."_

 _With that, Crimson held his hand out to Adam who then shook it before the latter spoke._

" _Thanks."_

" _Although... you'll have to be more discreet than..._ this. _"_

 _Crimson then pointed to the bloody corpse to which Adam held his head down before the former spoke again._

" _But don't worry. There's always a few bumps in the road. I'll need a favor from you one day. And until then, I'll have no doubt that you can deliver."_

 _With that, Crimson walked away, leaving Adam and the White Fang behind with a smirk._

" _At the end of it, I told you I would need a favor."_

* * *

"That sound familiar to you?"

"It does, now that you mention it. What's the favor?"

Crimson handed Adam the scroll that was given to him by his operatives before he spoke.

"I know you're planning to overthrow the White Fang. And I want in."

"And what could you possibly gain from it?"

"Something that'll benefit the both of us: revenge. We were both betrayed by the people we called our friends. For my case, it was Raven Branwen. She and my sister were a part of Team STRQ. Long story short, she was assuming the responsibility of the Spring Maiden. However, it became too much for my sister, so she ran away. Then, Raven found her and tried to train her. But when it wasn't enough... she killed her and took the power for herself. A lowly coward taking a power that was never meant to be hers!"

Noticing his anger, Crimson took a deep breath before he spoke again as he got out a coin with the Grimm representing the Grimmites and the person representing the White Fang.

"And you? Blake abandoned you when things got too extreme between the two of you, didn't she? The way I see it, the White Fang, the Grimmites, we're two sides of the same coin. So that means whatever side the coin lands on..."

He then flips the coin and placed it in his palm to show the person facing up.

"...they will all lose. Do we have a deal?"

Adam smiled at him before he spoke.

"Just on one condition..."

* * *

Later, Adam knelt before Sienna Kahn, who is now currently high leader of the White Fang as she stated her disgust.

"I'm not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you that the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy."

"High Leader Kahn, I am begging you."

"You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else! The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be grateful that your punishment wasn't more severe. You are a symbol for many in our organization, especially to Lavender, but that doesn't make you infallible."

"I was merely trying to follow your example, High Leader."

"And what example might that be?"

"Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction. The humans have seen that strength now."

Sienna only sighed before she spoke again.

"I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. Peace bred complacency and acceptance of our place in the world. I will not allow humanity to push us down without pushing them back. But the destruction of the Huntsman Academies crosses a line! The loss of the CCT has brought global communication to a crawl! And the White Fang is more of a target now than ever before! You have justified humanity's campaign against us, and for what? Empty promises from a group of humans? Humans we still know nothing about, and come and go as they please! These are not examples of strength, Adam. They are examples of your talents being diminished by shortsightedness!"

Then, Adam added a few certain details.

"First off, one of them wasn't... entirely human, but he's no Faunus either. Second, if you want to know more about the humans, then why not talk to one of them yourself?"

Then, he stood up before he called them out.

"Crimson! Hazel!"

With that, Crimson teleported in a white fog along with Hazel, surprising Sienna and her guards as Crimson spoke.

"Took you long enough, old friend."

As Sienna looked at him, she began to suspect the worst of him.

"What is this?!"

Hazel and Crimson then noticed her and spoke.

"Apologies. I don't aim to cause trouble."

"This is merely an intervention, Sienna. So sit down and we can discuss this."

"You've brought a human and this-this... outcast to this location?!"

"No, High Leader Kahn. I brought the man who saved those Faunus that were trapped and his acquaintance to this location. You should hear what he has to say."

"This is grounds for execution!"

Then, Crimson spoke up.

"Is that any way to treat the man who saved your people? I guess I can't blame you. But we have a common enemy: humanity."

Hearing this, Sienna Kahn sat down before he spoke onward.

"Humanity took everything away from me, everything I ever loved. Worst of all, it turned me into this _hideous beast_. So I will do whatever it takes to make sure we're even. And to make sure you get what you want, of course."

"I'm starting to doubt either of you fully comprehend what it _is_ that I want."

Crimson begged to differ.

"Oh, I do. Equality through fear. You want them to fear the Faunus, to know you demand respect. And the last thing you want is to start a war with the humans you can't win. Is that safe to say?"

This made Sienna widen her eyes as Hazel and Adam look to him.

"I'm here to tell you that we _can_ win this war. Not only because you have Salem's support, but because _we_ are the master race of Remnant. If your people's strength and resolve are anything like Adan's, you're already superior to humans. You have have everything they have and more. With any luck, they'll not only fear us... they'll respect us."

Crimson had waited a long time to appeal to Sienna Kahn since her taking rule, for he knew very well one wrong word would dismiss him. However, for all of his planning, he still received a dismissal.

"I've had enough of this conversation for tonight. Guards, take them away."

However, the guards didn't move from their posts before she spoke.

"I said take them away!"

Then, Adam revealed their allegiance as he spoke.

"I will admit, Sienna, you were right about my probability. My followers in Vale already see me as the true High Leader. And many here in Mistral feel the same."

Sienna glared at Adam just as another faction arrived with a blue-haired girl with wolf ears in a mask speaking.

"Well, we don't!"

Adam then turned to see the girl and four others as he glared while Hazel questioned him.

"What are you doing?"

"Lavender... you too?"

"I'm only doing this so we can still be together, Adam. We don't have to be enemies."

"I should be saying the same thing. It's bad enough that Blake betrayed me, but you're making history repeating itself."

"History is repeating itself because you couldn't let go of your hate! You nor Sienna Kahn!"

That caught her by surprise as she was also her apparent target as more of the Wolf girl's own followers surrounded Sienna and Adam.

"Lavender? You too?"

Sienna then sighed before she spoke.

"If you think I'll step down and follow beneath either of you, you're wrong."

This made Crimson sigh himself before walking to her as he spoke.

"Well, this is getting awkward. Time to cut to the chase."

With that, Crimson clutched her throat before he spoke.

"Why don't I show you what our world could be?"

With that, they vanished in a white haze, leaving only Adam, Hazel, Lavender, as well as their followers. There was silence among them before one of Lavender's followers spoke.

"So... now what?"

Lavender looked to Adam before she spoke.

"Let him have the throne. For now. If he acts contrary to Sienna's will, then you know what to do."

"What about you?"

Lavender then walked up to Adam before she spoke.

"I'll be by his side. To make sure he still has me."

That reminded Adam of the time Blake spoke out to him after his string of kills.

* * *

" _Blake, I'm sorry. I told you, it was an accident."_

" _Was it? This wasn't the first time humans have died on missions you've led. How many more accidents are there going to be?"_

" _I don't know. I'm out there fighting for us, and when you fight, people get hurt. What, do you want me to just abandon our cause? Like your parents?"_

 _This made Blake hurt as she backed up with her ears drooping down._

" _No! I'm not saying that. I— I don't know."_

 _That made Adam regret what he said about them before he spoke softly to her._

" _I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought them up. I just get scared when it feels like you don't believe in me anymore."_

 _Blake walked up to him before placing her hand on his shoulder._

" _I never said that."_

 _With his feelings assured, Adam spoke to Blake with a smile._

" _Thank you, Blake. It's good to know I've still got you."_

* * *

Then, Adam looked at Lavender and smiled before he spoke.

"Thanks, Lavender. You're not the first person to scare me like that."

"I know."

Adam and Lavender then turned to their followers before the latter started speaking.

"Everyone fall back. Return to your posts."

"That goes for all of you, too."

With that, the members left the room as Hazel looked up at Adam.

"When were you and Crimson planning on telling me about that?"

"This was my business, not yours."

"It's our business now, and I don't appreciate you withholding things like that."

"Your master was concerned with Sienna's willingness to cooperate. Now she doesn't have to be. Crimson's taking care of it as we speak."

Hazel then looked to Lavender before he spoke to her.

"Make sure he behaves himself. Nobody needs to die."

"I know. That's actually the one thing we can agree on."

* * *

At Vale, Crimson reappeared with Sienna Kahn before he dropped her and allowed her to take her breath before she noticed she wasn't in her temple anymore. She was in Beacon Tower, the place that now overlooked a desolate world with countless Grimm and with more people like Crimson to boot. This made her frightened as she looked at Crimson.

"What is this?!"

"Our future. Cities that humans have built crumbled as they were destined to. The humans are slain like the insects they are."

Then, Crimson snapped his fingers before Gath arrived with Ellie as the latter whimpered.

"And best of all, respect is always present."

As Ellie whimpered, Sienna noticed her tears and in spite of being human, she felt bad for her. She's now beginning to think that Crimson is even worse than Adam was going to be, as she's right to suspect as he spoke.

"Anyone who doesn't... they don't get a second chance."

Sienna only slapped him in the face before she retorted.

"It's one thing to attack the humans when they've wronged us, but to subject them to this?! Even I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!"

Crimson only glared at her before she spoke.

"Then why don't you join them?"

With that, Crimson slapped her with his claw, scratching her face, to Ellie's horror as she exclaimed at this before Crimson spoke.

"Take them to the girl's cell."

Then, he turned to Ellie before he spoke.

"You should be happy. You've just got a roommate."

With that, Gath took the both of them away as Crimson took a deep breath as he focused on his next task.

"Now... where is your prize, Ozpin?"

 **A/N: There you have it. Sienna has been given a chance to see how the other half will live once her dream is realized thanks in part to Crimson. Spoiler alert: it doesn't turn out as advertised. As for the voice actors of Ellie and Lavender, the former will be voiced by Reina Scully while the latter is voiced by Michelle Ruff. And for those of you wondering what Ruby's mission is, you'll just have to wait and see. Until then, savor it. :)**


	4. Unforeseen Complications

**A/N: Hello. I just realized I forgot to identify the voice actors for Shiro and Heather. Shiro will be voiced by Jason Michas while Diane Michelle voices Heather. Just wanted to let you know. Oh, and the informant that Crimson corrupted actually has a name, at least in my story. He will be voiced by Jason Sudeikis. And to spice things up, I will have Yang confront Adam at last. Whether or not she meets Blake again at this point, that is classified. That's about it for now. Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 3:** "Unforeseen Complications"

At Menagerie, Blake, Sun, Ghira, and Kali were in the mansion trying to work up the courage to speak to their audience as Ghira read over the note and sighed before Kali places her hand on his shoulder before speaking.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. It won't be easy for the people to hear, but the truth often isn't. I know they'll do the right thing."

As Blake joined in to offer her support, Sun placed his hand on his back before he spoke.

"You got this."

Then he backed up before Ghira walked out the door to see an entire audience of Faunus and human members of the press, along with Corsac and Fennec. With that, Ghira held his hand up before he spoke.

"Thank you all for assembling here. I wanted to take the time to address some of the rumors that have been circulating around our island. I believe it is important for the people of this territory to understand the truth. No matter how you feel about the human race, I think we can all agree that the event now known as the Fall of Beacon was a tragedy. A tragedy that will set both man and Faunus-kind back. While the main aggressor is still unknown, we do have official confirmation that Adam Taurus, son of the late Caleb Taurus and leader of a powerful splinter group working inside the White Fang, was partially responsible for these attacks. His actions not only tarnished the reputation of an organization original created to bring peace and equality to all, but to our entire race. With each day that this man remains unpunished, it becomes increasingly difficult to condemn those that look down upon us. Worse yet, he seems to be aligned with a Grimm Huntsman by the name of Crimson Rose. He himself has made a faction determined to exterminate humanity altogether with his help."

As the crowd murmured, Ghira spoke onward.

"This same aggressor set his sights on this very home. My own daughter, Blake, and her friend did their very best to apprehend this individual. While they were unsuccessful after being physically assaulted and seriously injured, they were successful in obtaining a scroll from a spy from the splinter group that was caught in the middle. With this, we have been able to ascertain that Adam Taurus has plans to overthrow the current leader of the White Fang, Sienna Kahn, and take over the reigns himself. His radical plans do not stop there, the documents on this scroll proclaim his next target to be Haven Academy and it's attached CCT tower. Their plan is to strike on the last full moon before the beginning of the fall semester, roughly two months from today. I have sent my swiftest messenger to the government of Mistral, but I believe we have a greater responsibility. My relationship with the White Fang has been... an interesting one. Years ago, I led the organization to help try and create a world where I, and every Faunus who wished, could walk alongside the human race. And while I believe we made great strides toward this goal, it was made clear that the people both in and out of the White Fang wanted faster results. So I stepped down, and Sienna Kahn was appointed as my successor. It's true that I do not fully condone many of her methods. What I do condone is what Sienna fights for: the idea that the Faunus and humans are, and should be, equal. Adam Taurus and Crimson Rose do not seem to have that goal in mind. What they have done benefits no one but themselves. I think it's time that the Faunus showed the world that we are equals! Time that we sniff out this splinter group, and restore the White Fang to what it once was!"

This earned a mighty cheer from the crowd before he spoke again.

"To do this, I think the answer is clear: we must go to Haven and protect it at all costs!"

This only earned a dead silence from the crowd as they reigned in their voices.

"Before we proceed any further, I'd like to invite my daughter to come and share her story. Not only as a former member of the White Fang, but also as a survivor of the Fall of Beacon."

With that, Blake walked up as he spoke to her.

"You can do this."

However, a male voice spoke to them.

"TRAITORS!"

Then, the man took off his black cloak and stepped forward and revealed himself to be the informant that was corrupted by Crimson before. In spite of his red eyes and black claws, Sun knew who he was.

"Randall."

"Cowards. After everything the humans have done to us, everything they've put us through, you expect us to help them?!"

"I know we haven't been treated fairly..."

"No, no! Let's all join the humans! In fact, let's all become complacent cowards and let our guards down just to sing Kumbaya until we're all dead! Let's do that!"

"Young man, progress takes patience and cooperation."

Unbeknownst to Randall, Sun was sneaking in the crowd.

"Shut up! Crimson did me a favor! You know what he said to me? 'You're perfect', he said. Now go make the world perfect. You want the world to be a better place? Those humans are what's wrong with it! They're flawed and they're broken! In fact, the only way this world gets perfect is with all of them _dead_!"

"Shut up!"

Sun tried to attack him only for Randall to punch him in the gut before chucking him to the floor as the crowd gasped in horror.

"You better think carefully about what side you're on. Because if you choose them... you'll all die with them."

With that, Randall disappeared from the crowd in a white haze before Rodentia, one of the guards appointed by Ghira, spoke about him.

"After him!"

With that, Corsac and Fennec looked to each other in surprise about this recent development while Blake, Kali, and Ghira are left to contemplate what to do next.

* * *

At Mistral, Nora, Jaune, Ren, Pyrrha, and Ruby were contemplating about Oscar's situation.

"Did he age backwards?"

"He's possessed!"

"Or reincarnated!"

"For real?"

"Oh! Isn't it weird?"

As the group overwhelmed Oscar, he spoke.

"It is weird, yes."

Then, Skye spoke up to them.

"Guys, I know it's overwhelming to us, but he feels that way, too. So why don't you guys just take a step back?"

With that, they all took a step back and laughed nervously as Oscar turned to Skye.

"Thanks."

"Sure. Anytime."

As they sat down, Oscar looked at Ruby who smiled at him before he spoke.

"Oh, Sorry! It's just I've never really met so many Huntsmen and Huntresses before."

"Well, uh... we've never met a person with two souls, so, first times all around."

As Oscar smiled at Ruby, Karse came downstairs and stated his joyful disbelief having been told of this by Qrow and Raider.

"I can't believe our luck. First, the Grimmwalker has returned to us, and now Coleum's Champion! What next?"

That confused Ruby as she spoke.

"Uh, who?"

With that, Karse looked toward Oscar before he spoke to him.

"Young man. Can we please speak to the champion?"

Oscar only groaned before he complied.

"Yeah, okay. Just so you know, I'll still be here."

With that, Oscar closed his eyes and took a deep breath before his whole body flashed green and spoke in a different voice.

"It is so very good to see you again, students."

This caught everyone by surprise as Jaune spoke.

"Wait, what just happened?"

Karse knew the answer to that as he spoke proudly.

"Young Oscar's soul has switched places with Ozpin's. A normal process of reincarnation, though it can be frightening for both parties at first."

"Correct. And though I may be the one speaking, Oscar is still present, mentally. He's merely handed over the control, so to speak."

Oscar then spoke to Ozpin in his mind(s).

" _Just don't make us do anything embarrassing..."_

"I'm afraid this all must be very perplexing."

Nora then joined in as she stated her personal feelings about it.

"And alarming, and bizarre, and just really kind of hard to believe overall!"

Raider felt they got the hint as Ozpin laughed.

"Okay, we get it."

"It's good to see you children still have your sense of humor. I know you've all been through tremendous hardship already."

Skye could agree with him.

"More than you can imagine..."

"I'm sorry."

Ruby could agree with him as she spoke to him.

"Tell that to my mom."

This caught the others by surprise before she spoke onward.

"You assigned her to protect the Spring Maiden. And she got killed for it. If it wasn't for you, she'd still be here with me!"

Pyrrha then tried to talk some sense into her.

"Ruby! It wasn't his fault."

"No, Pyrrha. She's right. It's all my fault. I told you once that I made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, and I wasn't exaggerating."

Pyrrha felt he didn't need to explain.

"Karse already told us who you were. Coleum's Champion. He said that you're... cursed. All because you couldn't stop Salem."

"That's right. For thousands of years, I've walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you all met was not my first form, and clearly wasn't my last. As Karse put it, it's... an extraordinarily strenuous process on everyone involved."

Karse then explained further.

"Simply put, Ozpin is the combination of countless men who've spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant. With every rebirth, his soul is eventually merged with another and he's changed, but his memories stay with him."

Pyrrha already knew the reason for his curse.

"We know you failed to stop Salem in the past, but your curse was part of Nigreos' plan to overthrow Coleum."

"Yes. And we must stop them now."

Then, Skye spoke up to him.

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

With that, Lionheart walked in with Shiro and Heather as he spoke on cue.

"By ensuring the safety of the Relic of Knowledge. My staff are taking care of that task as we speak. But the bigger task is to find the Winter Maiden."

This made Raider surprised.

"So, you know where she is?"

"Yes. I've been told that she resides in Korihor's tribe. Although, with Ruby's... showmanship, that may be subject to change."

"Change? What do you mean?"

"I don't have official confirmation. But with any luck, no one would help Korihor now."

* * *

Speaking of Korihor, he woke up to find himself bound in ropes as he then looked to see two bandits guarding him as they snickered.

"Well, well, well, look who's awake."

"What is this?! I demand an explanation!"

Then, he heard a familiar voice.

"You know... I never thought I'd see _you_ in this camp."

Then, Korihor dropped his jaw in shock as she revealed herself to wear a no-sleeved pelt with a belt around her neck as the other bandits grew surprised.

"Vernal?!"

As she walked toward him, Korihor glared at her.

"You dirty traitor..."

"As I recall, you betrayed us first. You abandoned us."

"We did what was necessary to survive! Raven Branwen has dug all of your graves. She might as well be pushing you into them!"

"That was then. And this is now. As we speak, she's doing everything she can to keep us alive."

"Hah! If she really cared about you, she could've turned herself over to Crimson!"

"Just keep quiet and cooperate and Crimson will be dealt with before you know it. Don't make this complicated."

This made Korihor laugh at her.

"You really think you can kill Crimson? He's unstoppable. He can pop up anywhere at any time. And the instant he does, it's on all of your heads."

This only made the other bandits laugh as well as Vernal before he spoke.

"What's so funny?!"

"I don't know if it's more funny or sad, but you're clearly out of the loop. Crimson isn't after us. He hasn't been for three months."

"And did you ever wonder why? He's not a fool. As we speak, he's creating an army to wipe you from the face of Remnant. It's only a matter of time. And the worst part is... you'll never know until it's too late."

With that, Vernal walked away feeling uneasy as Korihor laughed.

* * *

At the house, Nora stated her ecstasy.

"This is perfect! We were stuck at a dead end, but now, we can just take cute little boy Ozpin to Barak and have him set things straight."

"Please don't call me that."

Lionheart didn't think it wise.

"I don't think that's the best idea. Barak hates Ozpin most of all, because he considers them their ringleader."

"That's right. He isn't just behaving irrationally, he's on the verge of waging war on us. Something's wrong. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I don't want to rule out any possibilities either. No one outside of this room knows that I've paired with Oscar, and I think it may be best to keep it that way."

Qrow knew what kind of strategy he was talking about.

"Play things close to the chest until we get a better hand."

"Precisely. Now, we have two steps ahead of us. The first is enlisting the aid of more Huntsmen. And, as I've been told, you have a Grimmite army not far from here, don't you Raider?"

This made Karse and Skye surprised as they spoke at the same time.

"Is that true?"

"Like you said, keep things close to the chest."

That made Ren concerned about the council.

"But the Mistral Council—"

Qrow put his worries to rest.

"Doesn't own every Huntsmen in the kingdom. And I've been here enough times to know where we can find some more."

"So long as they're trustworthy."

"You can trust them to put up a good fight. Raider and I'll throw together a list tonight."

Lionheart then spoke to Qrow.

"And you won't be alone. Shiro and Heather will accompany you. They're the first two in that list."

Then, Ozpin spoke up next.

"After that, we can move on to step two."

Skye then walked up to Ozpin.

"What is step two?"

Ozpin then grabbed his cane before he spoke.

"Getting you six into fighting shape."

That made Ruby confused.

"But, uh... we already know how to fight."

Ozpin then pointed his cane at Ruby as he spoke.

"You can only fight so long as you have Crescent Rose, but you're still lacking in hand-to-hand combat. You may have been lucky against the Black Dagger, but even your silver eyes can only get you so far."

"Well, uh, yeah."

Ozpin then pointed to Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos, I'm glad to hear you've improved, but sorry to say that one of you has yet to unlock your true Maiden potential. And Skye, you're no doubt a capable girl, but there aren't always going to be any Grimm to bring to the light, and your Semblance has yet to come to fruition. All of you still have a ways to go before you're ready to pose any real threat against Nigreos and his forces. And though Oscar will give me temporary control, he'll need to strengthen his body and his Aura."

" _Wait, what?"_

"He'll inherit my muscle memory in time, but practice will expedite the process."

This made Skye confused about their steps.

"But if Qrow is out looking for Huntsmen, then who's going to teach us when we have to go to Raven's camp in a week?"

Ozpin then launched himself to the air with his cane before landing on the chair as he spun his cane around while speaking.

"Well, I believe I was the headmaster of Beacon Academy. We have approximately one week before our trip to Raven's camp. And even now, we have approximately two months before classes resume at Haven. If Nigreos were to plan an attack, it would make sense that it would occur prior to the students' return. It's not much time, but it's better than nothing. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."

With that, Ozpin handed the controls back to Oscar before the latter fell backwards, taking the chair with him.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

Skye voiced her personal doubts.

"I don't think he is."

* * *

Near the camp, Nico was walking alone in the forest when he noticed Yang being dressed in a different attire similar to her mother's except that the colors were yellow and red and with her hair in a ponytail before he turned to the drone which showed a silhouetted being.

"Okay. I've found Raven's daughter."

"Good. Now get on her good side and earn her trust. Once she's let her guard down, bring Raven to me, and I'll make sure Crimson won't touch you."

"Okay, deal."

Then, the silhouette glared her red eye at Nico before the drone clutched his neck.

"I'm serious. You have to take this seriously if you want to be safe from Crimson. Or he will be the least of your problems. Understand?"

Though choked, Nico spoke to her.

"Y-Yep. Got the message."

"You better."

With that, the drone dropped him before the transmission went off. As Nico took his deep breath, he then looked over to see Raven hug Yang as she spoke.

"I'm sorry about everything I've done. I really am."

"I know. But Ruby has a different take on the matter."

Seeing this, Nico sighed before noticing Korihor in a wooden jail cell and went over to him.

"Hey, Korihor."

"Oh, Nico! Thank goodness you're here!"

"Shhh! Quiet!"

This made Korihor wonder about Rex, Axe, and Venunem.

"Where are the others?"

"Don't know, don't care. I've got a plan."

"To get me out?"

"No. To get Crimson off our backs. I took a job from someone close to Yang to bring Raven to her so she can get rid of him."

"Really?"

This made Korihor lower his voice before he spoke.

"Well, how are you gonna do that?"

"Well, I'm gonna play the long game and get to know her daughter."

"Again, how? She's not into any man as far as I can see."

"I don't know. But if I'm going to get Yang's trust, I need to think outside the box."

This made Korihor frown as Nico tried to help him get the pun as he spoke.

"If your puns are just as bad as hers, you've got a good start."

"Pfft. What a waste of a pun."


	5. The Devil Inside

**A/N: Hello. I know it's a little short, but I'm so eager for Volume 6 at the moment. Also, Raider does indeed have his own demon inside him, and he is voiced by Richard Moll. So, here's another short chapter for "The Dark Rose".**

 **Chapter 4:** "The Devil Inside"

At the ruins of Vale, as the Grimmites led the humans to what's left of Beacon Academy in chains, Ellie whimpered as she buried her head in her knees, unaware that Sienna was stirring awake. Once she blinked her eyes and got up, she found that the "cell" was actually a dorm room. That didn't make the circumstance any better when she turned to see Ellie in fear before she tried to speak.

"Excuse me..."

That only made Ellie exclaim in surprise only to find that Sienna was the one talking to her.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm so sorry. I just... why did this have to happen to me? I-I didn't do anything wrong! All I've ever done is try to support my family and the Faunus, just like my dad did!"

In spite of the situation, Sienna had her doubts about humanity.

"Maybe his support wasn't enough."

"He _died_ trying to save them! Do you understand that?!"

This made Sienna widen her eyes in surprise before Ellie spoke on.

"My dad... he knew what the SDC was doing to them and tried to get photographic evidence to put an end to all of that. But then... there was a dust explosion in the mines. He saved the Faunus trapped in there, but... he couldn't save himself."

As Ellie began to cry, Sienna began to feel worse than when Crimson brought her as an example.

"I've tried so hard to make the hate go away, but it's still there! I'm nothing! It's hopeless... nothing I do ever works. So why bother?"

As Ellie cried on her knees, Sienna placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Listen... I don't know if I can speak for humanity, but I will speak for people like you. Fear can make hate go away, but it'll also diminish any chance of trust. Crimson doesn't care about that. He just wants to watch you and many others burn as he was. From what I've seen, humans are no better than the Faunus. We are all victims in this madness. I was a fool not to have seen this before now. And I apologize for that. I used to think humans are the enemy with no plans to ever accept us without fear included. But if this is what fear leads to... I won't let it come to that. I'll stand and fight this future even if I die trying."

Ellie had her personal doubts about this due to the string of traumatic incidents that happened to her.

"Then you might as well die. How are we supposed to stop this?"

"I don't know. But no matter what, I refuse to live in _this_ world."

Before Ellie could counter, Sienna heard a young girl's cry from far away and looked out the window to see her alone in the streets and calling out for her parents.

"Mommy! Daddy! Please, come back!"

As she cried, one of the unknown Grimm with long arms, short legs, and jagged sharp teeth with a red and white mask above them immediately ran toward the girl and prepared to tear her apart as it screeched. However, it was stopped by Mount as he held it back and punched it in the mask, destroying it as he panted. The girl was scared of him at first, but as Mount looked at her and blinked his eyes, the girl slowly got up and gave him a hug and cried onto him as he pet her in the back before lifting her up as Winter came into view before Sienna figured out who she was.

"Atlas? What are they doing here?"

With that, Ellie looked out the window next and saw a blue Grimm giving the lost girl a piggyback ride while Winter scolds Mount.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Mount like kids."

"I'm sure you do, but that's no reason to break protocol."

This made Ellie confused.

"What kind of Grimm is that?"

"I don't know. But I'm willing to bet Atlas has something to do with this."

This have Ellie some relief.

"Phew! That's good. That means we can all get out of here, right?"

However, Sienna only gave her a glaring look before she spoke.

"Right?"

"Wrong. Maybe you might, but Atlas? They're not gonna let the High Leader of the White Fang go."

"Wait... you're with the White Fang?"

"I was. Before Crimson brought me here."

Instead of being hateful and spiteful, Ellie only sat down next to Sienna before speaking to her.

"Why? What does he have against you if you've been through so much?"

"Like I said, he just wants to watch us burn as he did."

"Well, that's... that's unfair!"

This further surprised Sienna as the girl who was crying about how hopeless it was a minute ago was venting her frustrations about how Remnant worked up until now.

"You shouldn't suffer because someone hates you! No one should! The Faunus are being discriminated for who they are, and that's not right!"

Then, Ellie realized what she was doing and felt bad about venting her anger onto her as Sienna was beginning to get scared of her.

"I'm sorry. I've just... I've been through too much. I really shouldn't be the one to talk, though, right?"

Then, Sienna sighed before answering honestly.

"Personally, I don't care what you've been through. But you're not wrong. It isn't right. And neither is what he's doing to humanity."

As silence hung in the room, Sienna cleared her throat before speaking.

"I'm Sienna Kahn. And you are?"

"I'm... Eliana Cross. My friends call me Ellie."

As Ellie got her hand out to shake it, Sienna was hesitant at first before she finally took it and shook it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Winter and Mount made it to the main hall before they noticed Glynda Goodwitch hanging with her arms in chains as Winter gasped and tried to reach her only for Mount to grab her before they retreated to a pillar. As the girl trembled, Mount lifted her off of his back before he spoke softly.

"Stay here. You be okay."

As she was placed to the ground, she peeked out from the pillar to see Crimson appear in a white haze as he spoke.

"Hello, old friend."

Glynda only scoffed at him before he spoke onward.

"What? No tears for me?"

"What you've done, Crimson, just demoted you of them."

"Don't act so cold, Glynda. The whole reason I did all of this is because it's fair."

"To what? So far, it's only benefited you."

Crimson retaliated by gripping her face with his claw as he shouted at her directly.

"I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO LOST EVERYTHING! And I _shouldn't_ have to be!"

He then let go of her face before he spoke.

"I'm not even gonna bother asking you again after this. Where... is... the Fall... Relic?"

Glynda only spat in his face as an answer before he wiped it away from his face in disgust before speaking.

"I'm running dangerously low on patience. If you don't tell me and soon, I will kill those people right in front of your eyes. And don't think I won't, because there is nothing I can't do that won't make them scream."

With that, Crimson vanished again before Winter looked back to ensure the coast is clear.

* * *

In the meantime, Weiss and Logan walked through the halls of the dorm rooms as she had a memory of when she and the team lived together in Beacon before she sighed and stepped forward. Just then, they heard jiggling from outside. That meant someone locked in was trying to get out. Logan could make a guess about that.

"That's my sister!"

"How do you know?"

In the room, Ellie tried jiggling the handle as Sienna spoke unimpressed.

"If the door hasn't opened by now, then it is..."

Suddenly, the door opened, catching Sienna and Ellie by surprise as the latter smiled while the former finished her sentence.

"...locked."

"Logan?"

"Ellie."

With that, Ellie ran over to Logan and hugged him as she cried on his chest.

"I've missed you so much!"

Logan places his arms around her as he spoke back.

"I missed you too, sis."

Then, Weiss noticed Sienna and grew surprised.

"Sienna Kahn?"

"If you're going to capture me as your slave, know that I won't hesitate to fight back."

Weiss only smiled at her.

"Good. But... I'm nothing like my father. And I'm going to prove it."

* * *

At Haven, Ruby and Oscar were fighting in each other in the backyard as she made the first punch only to have it blocked by Oscar, who then dodged her kick before attempting his own punch which she then dodged before moving for a punch. However, Oscar was able to block it before he blocked another punch from her. When she backed up and attempted a third one, Oscar ducked, making her lose balance for a moment before she used the momentum to do a sweeping kick as she fell to the ground. When Oscar tried to punch her, she dodged it before Ruby kicked him as Jaune, Raider, and Nora watched.

"Man, Oz wasn't kidding. Oscar's picking up on this stuff fast."

"Yeah. So is Ruby. Well, as fast as she could get."

Suddenly, Oscar landed a punch on Ruby's face, knocking her back. Suddenly, Ruby's silver eyes glared red with black irises, catching Raider by surprise as Oscar tried to apologize.

"Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry!"

Ruby didn't seem to listen as she tried to retaliate before Raider intervened and blocked what could've been a devastating punch as it caused a massive shockwave that sent Oscar back tumbling before Raider scolded her.

"What is with you?!"

"I'm getting results."

"Keep in kind that Oscar is not as well-trained as you are, Ruby."

"So what? Our enemies aren't going to hold back! So why should we?!"

"Because you're a Huntress and your goal here is to train, not murder!"

"Well, maybe I'm the only one who is taking this seriously!"

"Try telling that to Oscar."

Ruby then realized what her lunch could've done as she noticed he hadn't moved.

"Oscar?"

As he panted, Ozpin spoke to Oscar.

" _You forgot to engage your Aura again."_

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

" _Because this method makes you less likely to forget. Mind if I give it a shot?"_

With that, Ozpin took control of Oscar's body before he spoke.

"I'll have to agree with Raider, Miss Rose. Oscar doesn't have the years of training that you do. Or I do."

With that, Oscar engaged his Aura as he stood up. Normally, Ruby would've been petrified, but for some odd reason, she was in the mood to tear something (or someone) apart.

"About time. I've been waiting to get you back."

Ozpin grew a bit worried before he moved in to attack Ruby, who blocked his punches before she backed up before aiming her fist for his gut and hit her mark with a deadly smirk. As she attempted to move in and kick him in the gut, Ozpin dodged this and tripped her before she formed a fist and beat it on the ground before jumping in the air and attempted a midair left cross before she ended up head butted by Ozpin to the floor while Nora and Jaune watched.

"Ouch."

"The next time you want to use a left cross, remember to push off with the appropriate foot. And as always, do be aware of any openings."

This angered Ruby as her eyes once again turned dark red with black before she stood up and shouted to Ozpin in a distorted voice.

"I... will never... forgive you, Ozpin! You killed my mother!"

This made Nora and Jaune scared of her while Raider began to sense that something needed to be done.

"This is getting real bad."

With that, Raider ran into the house to get Karse and Skye before Nora called him out.

"Oh, yeah! Real brave!"

As Ruby yelled she darted towards Ozpin who then began using her Semblance to go around him while punching him while he was near her. As Ozpin was being brought down, Ruby smirked before she tried to perform a finishing blow before Skye spoke up.

"Stop!"

That caught Ruby's attention as her dark red eyes faded away and turned back to silver eyes as she looked at Raider, Karse, and Skye in shock. As she did, Ozpin switched places with Oscar before he fell to his knees. Realizing what she could've done, Ruby tried to apologize.

"Oh! Hey, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

Karse had a theory.

"Perhaps you weren't incorruptible after all."

"What?"

"When you merged with the Tenebris Comet, you used your silver eyes to stave it off. But even their power can do so much, as we can clearly see."

Ruby hung her head down as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry."

Raider only spoke to her harshly.

"Well, you oughta be. Why didn't you tell us about this?"

Ruby tried to explain herself.

"Raider..."

"I'm getting the feeling that you're not being honest with us. How can we ever trust you when you keep things like that to yourself? What else are you hiding?"

Sensing impending hostility, Ozpin switched with Oscar again and he tried to reason with Raider before his breaking point could be reached as well.

"Raider..."

"No! I need to know! WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?!"

Suddenly, his eyes turned dark red before he ended up in agonizing pain again. With that, Skye ran over to him and hugged him to heal him as he took a deep and went unconscious before Ruby felt ashamed.

"I knew it..."

"What?"

"This is exactly why I kept it from you. I knew you'd react like this. Treating me like a monster..."

Jaune tried to calm Ruby as he spoke.

"Ruby..."

"Just leave me alone!"

With that, Ruby took off from the group and into the forest as she turned into red rose petals and vanished from sight as Skye ran and shouted for her.

"Wait! Come back!"

As she ran toward Ruby, Ozpin then turned to the now comatose Raider before he spoke.

"I have to wonder the same thing about you, Raider."

* * *

 _Inside his mind, Raider heard a dark voice._

" _Raider... I'm coming for you."_

 _Raider woke up to find himself in his home and went immediately to the bathroom mirror to look at himself and found he was human. Though that didn't matter in the least as he spoke._

" _What's happening to me?"_

 _Then, a dark shadow with red eyes glared behind him before revealing itself to be similar to have sharp teeth and red jagged eyes as well as sharp claws._

" _You've opened the door to me, Raider. A crack of light on my face that I never had for 10 years. Did you imagine I'd ever let you close it on me?"_

 _That gave Raider enough confirmation as to who he was._

" _You. I've tried so hard to keep you locked away."_

" _And yet here we are... we're going to be gods in this world that's rejected and feared you for so long. We're going to tear it into a billion pieces..."_

" _I don't want any of that! Why won't you leave me alone?!"_

" _I am your inevitable conclusion. I am the ultimate you. I'm the devil."_

* * *

At Raven's camp, Yang was looking out the gate as her mother came up.

"Still worried about your sister?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen Ruby so angry. To tell you the truth... I'm scared. About what she could do. About what I've done to her, and... what she did to me."

As Yang remembered how hostile Ruby had become and what made her that way, she shed a tear before she spoke.

"Hasn't she been through enough? When is this going to end?"

Raven knew the unfortunate answer to that.

"Only as long as Nigreos exists. That's difficult, I know. But you're not the one who should suffer this, Yang. If anything, I should be having that pain a long time ago."

Just then, the two noticed a certain minion of Korihor that had wings on his back before Yang spoke to him.

"Stop right where you are."

With that, he stopped before he spoke.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. It's okay. It's all good."

Raven then spoke to him.

"Identify yourself."

Determined to gain her trust, Nico did just that.

"I am Nico, former member of the Black Dagger."

Raven caught onto that and grew suspicious.

"Former?"

"Since your silver-eyed friend's last attack on us, we've been divided. And if I'm being honest, Korihor is really annoying to be around."

Raven then spoke about his presence in the camp.

"Well, if you're looking to get away, here might not be best."

She then pointed at Korihor, who is trapped in a wooden cage before Raven spoke to him again.

"You're not trying to free him, are you?"

"Oh, no. Like I said, he is annoying to be around. The guy had it coming. And besides, I... need your guys' help."

Raven could make a guess.

"About Crimson?"

"Well, yeah."

Yang was about to rebuff when Raven stopped her.

"You can stay. But if you try anything, you'll end up with Korihor longer than you think."

"Yeah, got it."

With that, Nico cautiously walked up to Raven and Yang before he spoke.

"So, what's the first order of business?"

Raven turned to him as they walked up.

"First, were going in my tent."

"Why? Is it like a test or something?"

"If you're going to be with us, then you need to know the truth."

"About what?"

"About Crimson's master."

This made Nico nervous.

"Wait, wait. Crimson has a master?"

"Yes. And you need to know what we're dealing with."

With that he gulped as Yang placed her hand on his back.

"Hey, don't take this the wrong way. It was your idea."

"Yeah. Real genius, am I right?"

With that, the three of them entered the tent, preparing to discuss the truth.


	6. Shattered Faith

**Chapter 5:** "Shattered Faith"

At Evernight Castle, Whitley walked toward Salem and sat down before he spoke.

"Uh, you called for me, ma'am?"

"Yes. I have. And for good reason."

That made Whitley scared of what she could be suggesting as he gulped.

"And, uh, what, by chance, would that be?"

Salem glared at him before she spoke.

"Thus far, you've been nothing useful to us all alone. Which is why the time has come for you... to reclaim your throne."

That caught Whitley by surprise.

"I beg your pardon?"

"It was yours first, wasn't it? But then, your sister and her friend took that away from you, didn't they?"

That made Whitley grumble at the mention of them as he spoke.

"This is regrettably the case, yes."

"Well, that time's over, now. All Weiss has to guard the throne now is her trusty butler."

"You mean Klein? He's about as unstable as dust crystals."

"Speaking of, there's a very specific type of Dust that can bring out my army's true potential. In fact, upon closer inspection, Watts told me that those 'unstable' crystals were used to trigger the Atlas Dust Mine Incident, if you remember. And only you can deliver them to me."

This made Whitley smirk before he spoke.

"Well, then... I don't think we'll have a problem."

Salem smiled at his words before she spoke.

"See? You're already close to getting what is yours..."

* * *

At Menagerie, Blake and Sun walked out of the mansion with a scroll of signatures necessary for their volunteers.

"Okay. Are you ready?"

"I beat up on giant monsters and robots more than once. I think I can handle getting a few signatures."

* * *

While Blake stood up on a podium in a green landscape, she spoke to the Faunus present there.

"Your chieftain needs you! Your people need you! Please, join the fight and help us save Haven Academy!"

The crowd didn't bother walking up to her in line as they stayed away from her while Blake held her head down.

* * *

Far away, Sun spoke to an old friend of his, Mata, who had just rebuffed an offer.

"Are you kidding me? We'd love to have someone with your skills on our side."

"Believe me, I wish I could, but—"

"Mata!"

His worried mother then opened the door and dragged him by his arm.

"Get back inside."

"Mom!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

* * *

From this point on up until lunch, Blake and Sun have received no signatures from anyone as the latter grew frustrated.

"I don't get it! How can they just sit around and do nothing with the White Fang and Crimson's posse getting ready to attack?!"

"Because not everyone is like you and me. The Faunus here in Menagerie, the ones that weren't born on the island, moved here because they were tired of fighting, of having to struggle constantly. Menagerie is full of people that just want to be left alone. And here we are, asking them to put the rest of the world before themselves."

"I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"The problem is, whatever happens at Haven is going to affect them whether they like it or not. If Adam and Crimson have their way and Haven falls, it's only going to make things worse for the Faunus. Everywhere."

Sun could understand Crimson declaring war, but Adam was another story. He's just as bad as Crimson, but he claimed to be doing what's right for the Faunus, although granted he's blind to his actions and the consequences.

"Adam... he's the guy you used to... work with?"

Blake only sighed at this before she answered.

"Yes."

"Sorry. Forget I brought it up."

"No, it's okay. Have you ever met someone and thought to yourself, 'they are the personification of this word'.?"

"Uh..."

"Okay, well, I remember getting to know Ruby and thinking, 'this girl is the embodiment of purity.' After a while, I saw Weiss was defiance. And Yang was strength."

"What am I?"

"Jury's still out on that one. But I'm leaning towards earnest."

With that, Sun took a drink while holding his coconut drink with his tail, making Blake giggle before she went on.

"At first, I thought Adam was justice. Then I thought he was passion. But over time, I realized I was wrong. He wasn't any of those things. He was spite. Not hatred, not rage, spite. He won't accept equality, only suffering for what he feels the world did to him. Crimson is worse."

"How worse?"

"Judging from when he hurt you and when he corrupted our informant, Crimson is venom. He corrupts anyone's train of thought and makes them take his side against the world, and his way of thinking is dangerously contagious. That's what worries me about Illia. She's not like Crimson, not yet at least, but I don't know how long that will last."

"She was your friend, huh?"

"She was. Her chameleon traits meant that she could pass as human. She could've lived a normal life if she wanted, but she didn't, and someone accepted her for it. Skye. I always admired that."

"Wait. Who's Skye?"

"A friend of hers. But... she isn't human or Faunus. She was... different."

"I don't see how that makes sense."

"Well, you would if you knew that she played with the Grimm."

That made Sun spit his drink while taking a sip as he exclaimed in surprise.

"She did what?!"

This made Blake laugh before she explained.

"She was fine, Sun. Skye could talk with the Grimm and they wouldn't hurt her."

"Wow. Mind. Blown."

"I know. Anyway, someone like her saved her family in a mining accident when she was young, and she joined the White Fang. Like me, she was more or less trained on the road alongside other Faunus. She learned to survive, to defend herself, but as people like Sienna and Adam started to gain a following, she became more dangerous. I guess I did too. My parents tried to get me to leave with them, but I refused. I had Adam and Illia, after all."

"You know we're going to have to face her eventually."

"I know."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and help her the way you helped me."

"Hm?"

"You showed me that sometimes you need to be there for a friend, even when they don't want you to be. I was drowning in guilt and fear, I tried to push you away, but you didn't give up on me. And I can't give up on Illia. It's about time I saved my friends for once."

Sun nodded to her in agreement, both unaware that Illia watched from far away she sighed.

* * *

At Mistral's train station, Watts waited as the train arrived and came to a halt before the train hissed. As the door opened, a man with brown hair, and a white and blue outfit that represented Atlas walked out and turned to Watts.

"Watts."

"Barak."

"So... am I correct to assume I'm here for a reason?"

Watts cleared his throat before speaking.

"But, of course. Since the Fall of Beacon, Mistral's CCT Tower is the only one active in the moment."

"Your point being?"

"Why not use that to tell the rest of Remnant how you _really_ feel about the Huntsmen? Who knows? They might start listening to you."

Barak scoffed at his underestimation.

"You kidding? I'm a beloved public figure, now. They will have no choice but to listen to me."

"Well, I don't doubt that. I'm just making sure we're clear that your special 'talent' isn't rusty?"

Barak then smiled at Watts as his eyes glowed red before he spoke.

"Of course it is, Arthur. You've got nothing to worry about. The Huntsmen, on the other hand, they're gonna regret being alive."

* * *

Meanwhile, Skye searched for Ruby as she called out to her for hours with no success.

"Ruby! Ruby! Where are you?!"

When she heard rustling, she suspected it was a Grimm as it had a red eye. However, Skye knew better as she went closer to it. As she did, she realized it was no Grimm. It was Ruby, desperate to hide as she backed away.

"Ruby, please come on out."

"What difference would it make if I did?! You'll still call me a monster!"

"No one called you a monster back there, Ruby. Raider was just concerned for you."

"It felt like he was calling me that."

When she refused to move, Skye sighed before she spoke onward.

"You have to admit it, Ruby. You haven't exactly been honest with us. If it was about Salem, you would've been just fine because I'm around, but you're not. So tell me... what's really going on with you?"

Ruby still remained as she spoke.

"I don't want to tell you. You wouldn't understand."

Skye was about to retaliate verbally before she sighed in its place and spoke softly.

"Actually... I understand more than you think."

As she explained her story, Skye sat down by the bush while she spoke.

"Just like you, I was born human. But, I guess I wasn't human enough for them. The markings I was born with, they made me a target. People thought I was a monster. I don't know why, though. I didn't want to hurt anyone. At least, I didn't back then. Eventually, it got to be too much, so I ran. To the one place no one was supposed to go. And there I found... a different kind of monster. I should've been terrified. My parents warned me about the monsters. They told me about what happened to the little girls that wandered into the woods. But I wasn't afraid... I was sympathetic. This creature... it was badly hurt. I could feel it's pain, grief, sorrow, anger... but mostly, it's emptiness. I could help. Somehow, I knew I could. And I think it did too. But would it let me?"

Ruby slowly peeked her head out from the bushes as she spoke.

"Well, did it?"

Skye smiled at her as she answered.

"Yes. And that was the day everything changed. For both of us. We weren't alone anymore. For the first time... I'd made a friend."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That day I kept an open mind about the Grimm. Especially my friend. I called him Lunie."

"He sounded so cool. What happened?"

Before Skye could explain, the two gears other rustling from the bushes before Ruby spoke to her.

"What was that?"

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

Skye walked toward the rustling for a moment before Ruby saw a dark figure in the trees with a Lancer arm blade before she yelled to her.

"Skye, behind you!"

With that, the arm launched itself at her, only for Skye to notice and dodge it before another figure emerged with the claws and cape of a Geist and attempted to scratch her before Ruby got in the way and shoved him away. Once he did, that figure was revealed to be Axe before Venunem leaped from the trees and chuckled maniacally.

 _ **"** **Maybe red's like roses**_

 _ **Maybe it's the pool of blood the innocent will lay in when you've failed to save them"**_

Skye recognized the two mostly due to her capture.

"What are you doing here?!"

Venunem responded as he snarled.

"I told you, you're the key to survival."

Axe then joined in on his statement.

"And if you thought we'd give you up so easily, you're dead wrong!"

Ruby then stepped by her side.

"Then you'll have to get through me!"

" _ **Their dying eyes are wide and white like snow**_

 _ **And now they know the cost of trusting you'd obliteration"**_

As Ruby got out her Crescent Rose intending to fight them, Skye tried to talk her out of it.

"Ruby, no! Get away!"

Ruby didn't listen as she slashed at Venunem, who blocked it with his arm blades before he attempted to stab her, only for Ruby to duck and give him a rising headbutt from below, knocking him back as he ended up bleeding from his mouth before wiping it away.

"Darn it..."

" _ **Mirrors will shatter crushed by the weight of the world"**_

Suddenly, Rex jumped from another tree before standing up and speaking to Ruby.

"This is the end for you, little Rose. You and your little friend."

"Don't even try it!"

" _ **The pillars collapse in shame"**_

Ruby angrily darted toward him with her Semblance and rapidly punched him as he circled around Rex. However, she's forgotten that he gets stronger and bigger with every succeeding blow. Then, Ruby smirked before punching him in the chest to finish it. However, Rex only glared at her before he grew to twice the size of a Beowulf.

" _ **There'll be no rest, there'll be no love**_

 _ **There'll be no hero in the end who'll rise above**_

 _ **And when it ends the good will crawl"**_

With that, Rex smirked before he began squishing her with his foot and making her scream.

"Remember this the next time you can get away with rendering our pride!"

As Venunem walked forward and prepared to fire his Lancer blade, Skye then received a flashback as she witnessed Lunie being shot at until he was no more before her hair and eyes turned red.

" _ **The shining light will sink in darkness**_

 _ **Victory for hate incarnate**_

 _ **Misery and pain for all"**_

Skye couldn't bear it anymore as she then shouted to them.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

" _ **When it Falls"**_

Suddenly, a Grimm dragon came from her back as it ascended to the sky in a red pillar of light. Far away, Karse, Lionheart, Team JNPR, and Oscar/Ozpin noticed this from the house while Qrow, Shiro, and Heather noticed this in the city. Watts and Barak noticed this and the former grew surprised.

As Blake and Sun noticed it in Menagerie unaware of Illia who had a feeling for the worst.

"Skye?"

In Vale, Glynda noticed it while bound in chains while Winter, Mount, and the child saw the red light behind the pillar as Logan, Weiss, Ellie, and Sienna noticed it in the streets. As for Crimson, he clenched his fist angrily before the pillar disappeared.

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

In the forest, Rex, Axe, and Venunem appear to have been knocked out once again as they made groaning noises before they noticed her and were forced to retreat as Rex growled. Before they took off, Rex angrily spoke to her.

"You just can't wait to see us torn apart, can you? Well, since that's the case, I'll make sure you're the first to go! Every Black Dagger member will be coming for you! You're getting obliterated, girl! The Black Dagger isn't going anywhere! You'll see!"

Ruby got up from the ground before she noticed Skye in a black dragon as she called out to her.

"Skye?"

Having noticed her, Skye calmed down, her black skin turning back to normal and her red hair and eyes turning back to blue before she ran over and hugged her.

"Ruby! Thank goodness!"

"What was that?"

Skye remembered that she asked a different question before they were interrupted.

"You remember when you asked what happened to him? I lost him. And _this..._ is what happened. _"_

Skye didn't bother holding back her tears as she cried on Ruby's shoulder before she gave her a hug. Just then, Ozpin/Oscar arrived with Lionheart, Karse, and Team JNPR before the eldest of the group spoke.

"What happened?"

Skye walked up and explained herself.

"It was my fault."

Karse gasped at her role before he spoke.

"Why, I never—"

Ruby then spoke to him.

"No! Skye didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault. I got so angry and I tried to run away. Skye was just trying to save me. If I didn't run away in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry."

Karse got the sense that she's willing to take the blame, relieved that the good side of her still exists as Ruby then felt the elder place his hand on her shoulder before he spoke.

"I know this was not your intention, Ruby. But you mustn't forget that those who hunt monsters should see to it that in the process, they don't _become_ monsters."

"I understand that now. Thank you."

Then, Ruby remembered Raider flipping out and straining himself.

"Oh. What happened to Raider?"

Lionheart have a sigh before he spoke.

"He... hasn't moved since his temper snapped."

"What?"

* * *

At Mistral, Barak grew angry about the light show, having only seen this from a certain individual.

"What... was... that?"

Watts gave him an unfortunate answer.

"I honestly have no clue. But if I have to guess, I'd say you-know-who."

Then, Barak only smiled before he spoke.

"Well. All the more reason to give them my advice, huh?"

* * *

At the White Fang headquarters, Fennec spoke to Corsac.

"Your thoughts?"

"Are of no significance. If this is how High Leaders Taurus and Lux wish to proceed, then we shall make it so. Of course, brother. Still... I can't help but feel that Crimson has an ulterior motive in this... alliance."

Just then, Illia knocked on the door before Corsac spoke to her.

"Come in."

With that, Illia wakes in and knelt down to them as Fennec spoke.

"Sister Illia, thank you for meeting with us."

"How may I be of assistance?"

Corsac then spoke to her next.

"Please, stand. We have wonderful news."

"What is it?"

"We finally received a message from the Mistral brotherhood; the operation was a success. Adam Taurus has claimed his place as the High Leader of the White Fang alongside Lavender Lux."

"Good. And... Sienna?"

Corsac then spoke to a Illia about that detail.

"Crimson whisked her away to the ruins of Vale. The other branches of the White Fang have been given the news that was agreed upon."

"And what story is that?"

"That he captured and slaughtered Sienna, of course. They'd assume that red pillar of light that arose this evening might have something to do with it."

Only seeing this as a way to find Skye, Illia only sighed before speaking.

"A necessary sacrifice. We won't forget everything she did for us."

Fennec and Corsac would agree.

"Indeed."

"Your maturity and understanding in regards to this matter is appreciated, and it is why we've summoned you here this evening."

"The White Fang is experiencing... a transitional period."

"Growth requires change."

"And change can be painful."

Illia then gave her two cents about it.

"If it's for the betterment of the Faunus, then... it's a pain we can endure. What's our next mission?"

"Enmity and Containment. With Mistral's CCT tower being the only one operational, our partner's representative will declare war on the Huntsmen so as to divert attention away from the White Fang. And with the others inoperable, we have the luxury of control over the flow of information."

"News of Adam's ascension has yet to reach Menagerie, but when it does, the citizens of Kuo Kuana will undoubtedly react poorly now that the chieftain has spoken out against us."

Illia then began to blame herself for being noticed, but also remembered what Crimson tried to do to her and what he forces her to do for Skye's sake.

"It's Crimson's fault the Belladonnas has any ground to stand on."

Corsac only reminded her of an important lesson.

"Do not concern yourself with past failures, Illia. Focus on the future. We have an opportunity for redemption."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Lately, Crimson has been acting... obsessed. He has frequently mentioned Raven Branwen time and time again. Naturally, we can assume that she is the only remaining threat to stable ground with him."

"While the Belladonnas are the only threat to Adam's assault on Haven Academy. And so... they both must be silenced."

This made Illia concerned before she spoke.

"S-Silenced?"

Corsac and Fennec then explained the reasoning for it.

"Like Sienna. They stand in the way of true progress for our people."

"We would never put such a burden on you, of course. Brother Taurus will take care of them with you while Sister Lavender will contend with the Branwen Tribe. Your relationship with their daughter makes you an integral part of this operation."

"Blake? _First, Skye's life is at stake, and now hers?_ "

"We know how close you were with young Blake. Rest assured, High Leader Taurus will take her alive, but we cannot risk having her present to defend her family."

As Illia tried to protest, Corsac and Fennec interrupted.

"But, the people of Menagerie-"

"-will come to understand what happens to those who speak out against the White Fang."

"And will be left without a leader until our victory is complete."

Corsac then placed his hand on her shoulder as she repeated her words to her.

"A necessary sacrifice, Sister Illia."

After a moment, Illia walked out with a worried look before putting in a look of determination.

" _Right. I'm doing this for Skye. And for the Faunus."_

As she closed the door, Fennec spoke of her opinion.

"She's right to worry about the citizens. It's possible they may either see Ghira as a martyr, or worse... Crimson would slaughter our people."

"It is a risk we must take for our High Leader's trust in his partner."

As Corsac sent up a video feed, Crimson spoke to the two of them.

"I will not allow them to ruin this! Raven has brought me nothing but grief and agony!"

As he took his deep breath, Crimson spoke onward.

"You've done well to find the deserter and the Black Dagger. Adam can keep Blake for all I care, but Raven Branwen belongs to me. I have a promise to keep. We both do..."

When the feed ended, Fennec spoke about Crimson's erratic behavior.

"He seems... unwell."

"Like Brother Taurus, he carries with him a tremendous burden."

"Are we sure he is the one to lead us?"

"For now. We must do what is best for the Faunus."

Just then, a Faunus with bat wings on his back walked in before Corsac spoke to him.

"Brother Yuma. Did you see to Ghira's messenger?"

"I would have... if it weren't for that pillar of light that blinded me."

Corsac had a feeling about whom it came from.

"Then it seems this 'Grimmwalker' can't be ignored. Find her and terminate her."


	7. Perfection

**A/N: Hello. In preparation for Volume 6, I'm planning on completing this story before it begins. So, you may receive about most of the story before the end of the week. Anyway, the gloves come off for Crimson in this chapter. And a little tidbit: I've added a music in from the film's score of "A Quiet Place." For what purpose, you ask? I'll tell you at the end of the story. And this chapter has a special guest appearance of Summer Rose. I checked out the voices for who would best portray her. In my opinion, it would be Carrie Savage. But if anyone has a better option, feel free to point it out. And the younger version of Crimson will be portrayed by Christopher Daniel Barnes. Just letting you know. Enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 6:** "Perfection"

At the city, Qrow, Shiro, and Heather were walking into a tavern before Shiro spoke to him.

"Uh, hi, sir."

Then, the owner looked up to see him and pointed his knife at him.

"You! I told you not to show your face in here until you pay me the lien you owe me!"

Shiro was initially surprised until he spoke.

"Oh, I forgot about that."

With that, Qrow stepped in and spoke up.

"It's okay, sir. It's on me. How much does he owe you?"

"16,000 lien."

He then tossed his card to him before the bartender looked at it and confirmed its use.

"Hmm. Okay. It's paid. Now get out of here."

"Believe me, that's my plan. Sorry for the wait."

With that, Shiro, Heather, and Qrow walked out of the tavern before Heather spoke to Shiro.

"Did we really have to go there first?"

"Hey! It had to be paid!"

* * *

Later, the trio went to two men for the next person, only for them to shake their heads before they removed two from the list. Next, they went to a blacksmith before she answered no to them and forced them to remove three names from the list. The third spot only left Qrow groaning in frustration as one of the punch drunk men shook his head no, resulting in eight names being removed. Finally, up next was Heather's home. She knew it very well as she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When it opened, Heather saw her husband with hair under his chin and peach fuzz on the top of his lip and around his face as he widened his eyes to see her.

"Hi, Trevor."

The husband then spoke to her in surprise.

"Heather? What are you doing here?"

"I'm... on business for now. I thought I'd pay a visit."

Just then, a little girl walked up by her father and spoke in joy as she noticed her.

"Mommy!"

Then, she hugged her mother as she wrapped her hands around her as she giggled.

"Hello, Kelly."

Then, she turned to Qrow and Shiro.

"Can you guys give me a few minutes?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"I'd like to join you. Uh, if that's alright."

Heather smiled at her friend before she spoke.

"Of course, Shiro. Come in."

With that, Qrow was left in the rain as Shiro and Heather went into get acquainted before he heard a familiar voice.

"They're the lucky ones."

As his eyes widened, Qrow looked around him as he spoke in echoes.

"We were the lucky ones, too. Until _you_ came along."

Qrow then engaged in a conversation with him in order to draw him out.

"What are you talking about?"

 _ **Play Marco Beltrami Music: "Positive Feedback"**_

"You _know_ what I am talking about. Summer was alive and free of being a target until you murderous twins set foot into Beacon! At that moment, you sealed her fate. Now, I'll seal yours."

With that, lightning struck to reveal his shadow above Qrow who then looked to see him on the roof of Heather's house as he spoke.

"I had a feeling you'd be here, Crimson."

"Time hasn't been kind to you, has it?"

"You're treated way worse."

Crimson only glared at him before he jumped off of the roof and spoke to him.

"And whose fault was that? You came in Beacon to kill Huntsmen. I merely decided to pick up where it left off."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to give you a warning. I saw that red pillar in the sky. And I know it came from the Grimmwalker."

That made Qrow gasp as he widened his eyes and Crimson spoke.

"Yeah. I know about her. And I know what that pillar means. Soon, the whole world will go after her and those who protect her. In the end, she'll be shot dead, just like I did to her six years ago in Chrysallium. How's she still alive after that... it's just dumb luck. Nothing more."

Sensing his threat, Qrow angrily shouted at him.

"What are you going to do with her?!"

"You really don't know, do you? That's funny."

With that, Crimson got out his coin and spoke.

"'Cause I don't know what's going to happen to her, either. But you know what? I'll just wing it for once."

With that, Crimson tossed his coin into the air with Qrow keeping an eye on it before he noticed Crimson with his claw out as he slashed it through his chest as lightning struck.

 _ **End Marco Beltrami Music: "Positive Feedback"**_

As Qrow fell backwards, the coin landed on the Grimm side as Shiro and Heather ran out to see him.

"Qrow!"

Qrow groaned as he sat up and Shiro and Heather held him up as Crimson groaned.

"Apparently, I picked the wrong time for an appointment."

With that, he vanished in a white haze as lightning struck again while Qrow glared at him before looking to the abandoned coin, his message as clear as lightning and loud as thunder. As if that weren't bad enough, Qrow got a call from Lionheart.

"Qrow! Thank goodness you've answered."

"What's up?"

"It's Raider. He's gone into shock again."

"What?"

* * *

At the Branwen Tribe's camp, Nico sat down by Yang as Vernal poured some tea. Nico then clicked his tongue and pointed at her, only to earn her scoff before he gave up.

"Never mind."

Then, Raven turned to Vernal when she finished.

"You can wait outside. Thank you."

With that, Vernal took her leave before Nico spoke.

"So, uh, what's the truth?"

Raven, who finished her sip of tea, looked at Nico.

"You know, it's better when it's hot."

"Not in my experience."

"The truth is that 'truth' is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, Korihor has told you and your group plenty of stories."

"Yeah. I was the one who always questioned them, though. Like, 'why did Raven choose to become a Huntress in the first place?' He kept that part to himself."

Raven sensed what he was getting at before she spoke to him.

"Well, in case it's not obvious, some are just in it for the money and the fame. But even more are just looking to get stronger, just like Ruby. Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen. We did it up learn how to _kill_ Huntsmen."

That made Nico spit his tea out as he exclaimed.

"What?! For real?!"

Raven turned to Yang and noticed her own discontent.

"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm? Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We are good. So good that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ that he was interested in."

Nico and Yang then asked at the same time.

"What do you mean by that? Jinx! Stop that!"

Then, Raven stopped the two of them with her scoff before she went on.

"I mean just that. Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've. Sound familiar?"

Yang looked to Nico before he shrugged his shoulders before she spoke to her mother.

"What's your point?"

"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?"

Nico was concerned with something else.

"What about you? What about _your_ past? Crimson is after all of us because of something you did. What did you do?"

Raven, though off-topic as he was, grew impressed with Nico getting to the point as she spoke to him.

"Now you're catching on. So far, you've done nothing but accept what others tell you, but you need to question everything. You've already done a good job at that. Otherwise, you'll end up as blind as Qrow..."

Then, Nico noticed Yang tensing in anger as her eyes glared red before she spoke onward.

"...and her fool of a father."

However, before Yang could flip out, Nico slammed his fist at the table before he shouted at her.

"Quit dodging the question and just get to the point! Tell me the real truth, woman! Korihor told me that you killed Summer because she was in the way! Tell me what really happened! Or was he right all along?"

That surprised Yang as Nico realized his outburst before fixing his gaze at Raven.

"You want to know that badly? Fine. But you're going to wish you didn't."

* * *

 _First, it showed Raven with the Spring Maiden as she was practicing her sword thrusts._

" _As you know, I've had the Spring Maiden when she ran away. But I never suspected that a certain someone was following her."_

 _Then, Raven heard rustling in the bushes and noticed Summer coming out from the bushes. The both of them looked to each other in surprise before Summer spoke._

" _Raven?"_

" _Summer?"_

" _What are you doing here?"_

 _Raven couldn't find an easy way to explain it before Summer spoke again._

" _Oh, well, never mind. Come on, guys. Let's head back to Beacon."_

 _When they didn't move, Summer looked back to them._

" _Raven?"_

 _Raven then finally spoke to her._

" _I'm afraid we can't do that, Summer."_

" _We?"_

 _As Spring looked at her, Raven answered._

" _The Spring Maiden can't go with you. She's already home."_

 _That made Summer figure it all out as her tribe came beside them._

" _You... you're a bandit?"_

 _As Raven held her head down, Summer demanded answers._

" _Why...? Why would you do this?! Did we mean nothing to you?!"_

 _Raven then spoke to her._

" _I have nothing against you, Summer. Just go."_

 _Then, her silver eyes glowed before she spoke._

" _I'm not leaving without Spring, traitor..."_

 _Then, Summer yelled out in anger as her white glow overcame the tribe before it faded and she got out her Crescent Rose out and tried to attack them, only for Raven to stop her brutal attack and fight her herself. As they clashed sword and scythe, Spring looked at them with concern. On one hand, Summer tried to do everything she can for her to be able to stay and live up to the responsibility. On the other, Raven took her in and tried to help her get to the point. As she thought it over, Summer used her scythe to knock her sword away from her before she then attempted to impale her while Raven tried to counter her only for Spring to get in the way. At that moment, Raven inadvertently impaled Spring and Summer at the exact same time, earning a stunned expression on her face as the two of them fell to the floor. Raven went over to Spring before she spoke._

" _No... w-what have I done?"_

 _Then, she looked over to Summer who was barely breathing before she spoke to her._

" _Summer! I'm so sorry... I-I never wanted this..."_

 _Summer only glared at her as tears escaped her eyes._

" _Why... didn't you tell me...? I thought you were my friend...? Tell me... was that all a lie...?"_

 _Raven began to cry for Summer as she answered._

" _No, Summer! Of course, it wasn't! I only wanted what was best for my family! I-I had to be stronger!"_

" _By killing us all? I don't know why I ever thought you could ever be my friend?"_

 _Having been at the receiving end of her betrayal, Summer began to reveal what she thinks of her now._

" _You're just a liar. Everyone in this world are liars. Why did I ever bring my daughter into this world full of people like you? Why did... Why did I ever say hi to you?"_

 _Raven began to get hurt by Summer's words as her heart ached before she spoke._

" _But... that's why we live, isn't it? To do what you think is impossible?"_

 _Raven then began to cry onto Summer as the latter placed her hand on her back before she spoke._

" _Well, I did it. I finally made you my friend. If you really cared for me, you'd do what you're doing right now. And I'm happy for that... but I've done what I needed to do. Thus, kindly, I scatter..."_

 _With that, Summer suddenly faded in white light before vanishing scattering into glowing white petals before Raven looked up at them seeing them go into the sky. Then, she felt a strong surge within her as she glowed a blue light around her before another voice called her out._

" _YOU!"_

 _Raven looked to see none other than Crimson, back when he was human before he shouted at her._

" _YOU KILLED HER!"_

 _Raven began to get scared and ran away as she turned into a Raven before he shouted for her._

" _YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME! I'LL CHASE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!"_

 _As he shouted, countless Grimm arrived and tore apart the Branwen Tribe as they screamed._

* * *

"And that's how it happened. Since then, Crimson assumed that Summer was the Spring Maiden before I'd killed her. Before I'd killed them both. Since then, I've done nothing but run away at the first sign of danger. Because... I'm scared of _him."_

As Raven began to shed tears, Nico felt bad for her.

"Whoa. I never heard it like that before."

Yang could agree with him.

"Neither have I."

Raven then wiped her tears away before speaking to Nico.

"I don't blame you for hating me one bit. In fact, I want you to. I want to make this tribe, this family better than what it is now. I'm not strong. Not at all. _That_ is the truth, Nico."

Then, Nico only glared at her.

"No wonder Crimson wants you dead. You betrayed Summer and her whole team. What did you think was going to happen?"

"I don't know. I... I was only trying to protect my family."

"It looks like you've torn it apart to me."

Then, Yang spoke to him.

"No. She didn't. I agree that Mom didn't make the best choices back then, but she didn't tear our family apart. Salem did. Despite what she could've done, Dad and Uncle Qrow would've understood her if Crimson didn't chase her away. Just like I never got over Blake running away from me. I've... Ive hated her for it since then. Just like Dad hated my mom even when he said he didn't. I could see that hurt all over his face. That wasn't Mom. That was Salem. She used that to win over Ruby and have her join her. She got Ruby to kill _me_! And I'm still hurt from it. But I knew that it's not her. It was Salem."

Nico then remembered what Raven said about Crimson having a master before he spoke.

"This Salem... she's Crimson's Master?"

"She's behind everything. Even the Fall of Beacon. She's still around because my tribe has been running away. But we're done running. Aren't we, Mom?"

As Yang and Nico looked over to Raven, she gave them a determined look before answering.

"Yes. We are."

* * *

At the house, Karse walked out to see Qrow, Shiro, and Heather stood in the backyard as they contemplated the situation.

"This world is getting worse and worse."

"Tell me about it. I get one or two of them, but... all of them?"

"That's not even the worst of it. The Black Dagger attacking Skye and Ruby, Crimson knowing about the Grimmwalker..."

"And now Raider's knocked out for who knows how long? What else could possibly top this?"

Suddenly, Barak's voice spoke throughout the whole city.

"My fellow remnants, as you are undoubtedly aware, Remnant is being ravaged by the hybrids known as Grimmites. What you may not know is that these Grimmites stemmed from the evolution of a Huntsman."

"Well, Heather, I'd say that would top it."

Karse knew what to do as he spoke to the group.

"Head back inside the house, now."

With that, they all went inside before Karse summoned a small yellow ball from the bottom of his cane before slamming it to the floor, coating it in a yellow barrier before he went in himself. As the others grew confused, Ruby spoke to Qrow.

"Uncle Qrow? What's going on?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure."

Then, Skye noticed something going on in the scroll on the sofa before she spoke.

"Look. It's going on in the scrolls, too."

To prove this, Barak can be seen speaking within the scroll.

"When I informed Ozpin of this discovery 10 years ago, he denied it. He claimed that a Huntsman wouldn't do this. And for 10 years, I believed him. But the unfortunate reality is that Ozpin had no more insight as to what a Huntsman would or wouldn't do than any of us. And if you don't believe me, remember the Fall of Beacon."

With that, footage of Yang breaking Mercury's leg and Pyrrha slicing Penny to pieces played as he spoke.

"During the entirety of the Vytal Festival, Ozpin's students have shown nothing but ruthlessness, insubordination, and the worst of all, one that's happened even most recently and frequently..."

Suddenly, footage of Ruby stabbing Yang through with her Crescent Rose before shooting her to the ground at Kuroyuri played to the horror of friend and foe alike.

"Acrimony!"

As Skye looked to Ruby, she grew afraid.

"Ruby? What did you do?"

Ruby felt herself rushed as she held her head down in shame.

"I told you, Skye. You wouldn't understand."

"So I ask you this. Is it any wonder that not long after such actions were displayed, the Grimm invaded Vale and tore apart everyone you held dear in the first place?! The Grimm thrive on negativity! Who's to say that the Huntsmen aren't the very source of that negativity themselves?! A better question would be this: how could you let your children become heartless killers?! For that, I am ashamed of you!"

As Barak spoke onward on the scroll, Oscar, Qrow, and Ren glared at him while Ruby covered her mouth before burying her head in Skye's shoulder as tears escaped from her eyes and Nora, Jaune, Oscar, Karse, Lionheart, and Pyrrha grew shocked as Barak continued.

"Since the Huntsmen's first intrusion into our kingdoms, I have opposed their presence."

* * *

As he continued, Ironwood and Klein looked at the news on the monitor as they grew wrought with him.

"They possess no code of honor. No conception of consequences. No responsibility. They represent uncertainty and risk."

* * *

At Mistral, Neo looked at the sky, growing restless and worried as Cinder, joined by Mercury and Emerald, walked over to her and held her arm.

"Far from our goal of perfection. And now, with the onset of these Grimmites, we see exactly to what degree."

"We'll find her, Neo. I promise."

"I hope so."

"We must eliminate the Grimmites, of course, but that is only the beginning."

* * *

Outside at night, Abraham was staring out at the broken moon as they overheard Barak's cold voice.

"We must prevent them from spreading. Ozpin refused to accept this hard truth. Instead, he would have us suffer this pestilence again in order to protect his precious Huntsmen."

Inside Vale, Winter grew angry at Barak for delivering such a statement as she also grew worried for the Huntsmen and Huntresses Crimson now holds prisoner as well as her face saddened.

"But he will never learn this truth. It is my sad duty to inform you that our headmaster has abandoned us. Ozpin has met his maker."

* * *

Far away, in the forest, Penny and Dr. Polendina looked out in the forest for Atlesian backup to help lead the prisoners to shelter only to stumble upon a desolate and bloodied village with the rotted and decayed skeletons of many of the Branwen Tribe with not only a flag of Atlas torn apart, but also a painting of a Black Rose on it.

"I know, I know. Dispiriting. But comfort yourselves with this knowledge. I shall protect us from this simmering Huntsman menace! At this very moment, steps are being taken."

As Barak spoke, Whitley got the SDC vaults in sight within its walls before he turned to the Grimmites.

"Steps that will secure Remnant. Secure it for those who have honor. For we who have responsibility."

"Well, gentlemen. You know what to do."

He then continued speaking as the Grimmites tore apart the vault doors to show black Dust Crystals as Whitley smiled.

"Four Kingdoms? There's no four ways about us!"

* * *

"Against this common scourge, we are not Atlesians or Valiants. Nor are we Vacuans or Mistrals. We are Remnants. And that is how we shall be known from now on! Today, we will make the Huntsmen pay for their crimes! Today, we will get the Justice we rightfully deserve! Today, we are divided no more!""

At the house, as cheers echoed throughout Mistral, Ruby and the others grew distraught at his proclamation as Lionheart spoke up.

"This was his plan. This is going to be the Fall of Beacon all over again."

Karse, however, begged to differ.

"No. It is even worse."

Ruby spoke to Karse in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"He does not have a desire for power alone like Cinder. He seeks to rid Remnant of what he considers imperfection. He's declared war upon all of the Huntsmen _and_ Grimmites. His law has already begun to spread like a plague..."

As he spoke on, a black creature with red eyes, a white skull of a lion with spikes around it and a shadowy mane emerged from a cave in the mountains as Barak's words echoed in the beast's head while Karse continued giving out the bad news.

"And if Crimson is right about this warning... Remnant has been cast in shadows again."

Finally, the beast roared at the sky as it echoed throughout the night.

 **A/N: Hello. About the song, I listened to this music before and I thought it'd be great to listen to as Crimson slowly forsaking chance altogether now that it's all but certain. Normally, I wouldn't add film's scores, but it seemed like too good an opportunity not to use it at least once. Know what I'm saying?**


	8. On the Run

**Chapter 7:** "On the Run"

 _In a cloudy day, Dexus walking through the hard rain before he took notice of a little girl with raven hair out in the rain by herself crying before he came over to her. It was then that he spoke to her._

" _My child... what's troubling you?"_

 _The little girl looked up to see Dexus and grew worried before he reassured her._

" _It is alright, my dear. I have not come here to harm you."_

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "All Things Must Die"**_

 _Still hesitant to trust him, the girl slowly reached her hand toward his until she finally did. Instead of it being hard as she expected, they were gentle, which gave her some relief. Then, Dexus spoke to her again._

" _Now... What is troubling you?"_

 _The girl sniffled before she spoke._

" _My Mom and step sisters. They want me to do everything for them. They called me pathetic. Someone who shouldn't exist. Why would they say all of those things to me?"_

 _As the girl cried, Dexus sighed before he spoke the obvious._

" _My dear... it is because you are strong. They know you are, but they're using fear to convince you that you're weaker than them. And that's why they feel the need to torture you."_

 _The little girl then looked to Dexus before she spoke._

" _You really think I'm strong?"_

" _Not as of yet, but I know you will be. Would you like to prove it?"_

" _ **Day by day, it's nearer**_

 _ **Step by step, you grow"**_

 _The little girl nodded her head fast before she spoke._

" _Of course. More than anything."_

 _Dexus then smiled to the girl before he spoke._

" _Then I will show you. What is your name?"_

" _My name? It's Cinder."_

" _Cinder? What a beautiful name."_

" _ **Closer to your ruin**_

 _ **Soon your time to go"**_

 _10 years later, Cinder was training at Evernight Castle with Dexus watching her as she used her blades to hack at the Grimm coming at her. As a Beowulf attempted to bite her, Cinder stopped it with her weapon by putting it in its mouth before pulling another out to cut the head off and went after the first one once it fell to the floor. Then, a Beowulf came closer to her and Cinder was forced to hit it away. As she prepared to slay it, she heard a gentle whimper which made Cinder rethink her position before it then got up and attempted to kill her only for Dexus to shoot it with his purple energy orb, earning Cinder's attention as her father figure looked at her._

" _ **Life is just a journey, yours is near its end.**_

 _ **Bloody evolution, this world transcend."**_

" _Why did you hesitate?"_

 _Cinder tried to explain herself as she stammered._

" _I-It was wounded. It just... didn't seem fair."_

" _Life isn't fair, Cinder. A good thing to remember is that mercy only benefits the foe. Apply this, and you will never be stronger than you are."_

" _ **Black out the sky**_

 _ **All things must die"**_

" _Do you understand?"_

" _I do."_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "All Things Must Die"**_

* * *

In the forest, Cinder looked at the moon reflecting on that moment as she sighed before noticing Neo walking over to her as she sat down beside her.

"Hey, Neo."

"Hello, Cinder."

Surprised by her speech, Cinder voiced her opinion.

"I've gotta admit. I'm still a little surprised that you've been able to talk all this time."

"Well, I wasn't before."

"Then... what changed? I never considered to ask you before. I want to take the time to do that now."

Neo took a deep breath for a moment before she spoke.

"The Winter Maiden."

This made Cinder widen her eyes before she spoke.

"You've met her?"

"Well... she found me. At the Fall of Beacon, I was blown away. No pun intended. That crosswind ended up blowing me all the way here to Mistral. To the Branwen Tribe. I was scared at first, even more so without Torchwick. I was... alone. For the first time in a long time, I was alone. At least, that's what I thought. But then, I met her. The tribe called her 'Vernal.'"

"Vernal?"

"Yeah. She told me that no one is going to come to my rescue. At first, I thought she was trying to make me give up. But... she was actually encouraging me to do it on my own. She taught me more about what _I_ can do. We... we were friends. And then... Crimson came along. They were forced to run away, even Vernal. She tried to bring me with them, but I was so sure I could defeat him. But... I didn't. He would've killed Vernal if I didn't volunteer to work with him. With Salem. One moment, I worked with human Grimm and got rid of Jacques Schnee. Not that the guy didn't have it coming. Then, on another, it ended up bigger than just being more powerful. It's about preparing for war. I'm not sure that's something I can prepare for."

Cinder then placed her arm on her shoulder as she spoke.

"I know what you mean. I didn't ask for war, either."

"Then why do you seem so eager to start it?"

"I didn't want _this_. I just wanted to be more powerful so that no one would hurt me. Or my friends."

That made Neo remember that Dexus was around when she and Ruby trained before speaking.

"Speaking of friends, what happened to Dexus? I haven't ever seen him since Salem sent you and him to Atlas."

Cinder sighed before she spoke.

"It's... complicated. My team, Dexus, and I were sent to Atlas in order to retrieve the Grimmwalker for recruitment. When we found her, she was... scared. I assumed it was because of how she's been treated. But it wasn't that. She was scared of _me_. I don't know why, but... that stung me. Somehow, 'liberating' her, if you can call it that, just didn't seem right. Dexus grew angry and tried to kill me. At the end of our fight, though, I beat him to it. Before he died, he told me his last words: he was so proud of me. With the way he raised me, I'd say the only thing he's proud of is how I didn't show anyone any mercy. I enjoyed it at Beacon, but back then? It just made me... ache. I wondered if she had something to do with it. Then, I looked at my new arm and... I was right. So I had to let her go. For my own good, and hers."

"How did that work out?"

"I felt... better."

Neo smiled at Cinder before she spoke.

"I'm glad you did. Who knows? With Barak's message sent out to Remnant, maybe we'll find them together."

"Maybe. But... I'm worried about Ruby. Now more than ever. And Raider, too."

Neo could hardly understand what exactly Cinder saw in the girl who she thinks killed Torchwick, let alone a Grimm Huntsman that scarred her, but she was willing to let it go if it meant finding Vernal.

"Then we'll find them, too."

"I hope so, Neo."

Just then, Emerald and Mercury arrived and the former spoke to them.

"Cinder."

Cinder turned to speak with her before speaking.

"What is it?"

"We've found Ruby and the others. But we need to hurry."

* * *

At Mistral, Skye got out a stretcher from the closet before she set it down.

"Okay. Qrow, Lionheart, can you set Raider there?"

"On it, lady."

With that, Qrow carried Raider by his arms while Lionheart carried his legs as they set him down on the stretcher before they lifted him up by the stretcher. As they walked him out, Skye turned to Ruby.

"Ruby, you need to pack light and any other essentials."

"Got it!"

With that, Ruby used her semblance to go up the room before Skye turned to Nora.

"Nora, you lighten the load Ren! Go, go, go!"

Nora and Ren then proceeded to take their weapons and maps before Karse spoke.

"We don't have much time before they're all over us."

"There has to be! We need to leave!"

Suddenly, they heard the voice of a Mistral police officer as he spoke.

"Alright, where are you Huntsmen! By order of Barak, you are under arrest!"

Ruby got nervous very fast.

"Ah! This is bad! I'm too young to go to jail!"

"If you don't open the door, I'll break it open for you! 1..."

As Ruby covered her eyes, she whimpered as his countdown got closer.

"2... 3!"

With that, the officer broke the door open as Ruby screamed. However, the scream died down as Ruby noticed the officer looked at the them like they were ghosts.

"Where did they go?"

This confused Jaune as he spoke.

"Uh, can he not see us?"

Then, Ruby looked further outward to see that Emerald was hiding in the bushes before she motioned them to come forward.

"No. Wait, it's Emerald! She wants us to come over there!"

Having known her for using her to destroy Penny, Pyrrha felt distrustful.

"Can we trust her?"

Jaune didn't like it either, but given their situation, it was necessary.

"I don't think we have a choice."

With that, they snuck around the suspicious officer as they headed out to the bushes where Emerald was before the illusion could wear off. As they were walking with Emerald, Ruby grew curious.

"Thanks for helping us, Emerald. But... why did you do it?"

"Cinder wanted me to help you."

This made everyone widen their eyes in shock as they whisper-shouted before Ruby asked her.

"Cinder?!"

"But why?"

"That's for her to explain. When we find her, that is."

As they traveled in the forest, Emerald found her group as she spoke up.

"Cinder. I've brought them."

Cinder then looked to see the group and felt relieved.

"Oh, thank goodness."

Pyrrha grew confused.

"You seem... happy to see us."

"You can thank Skye for that."

"What do you mean?"

To emphasize this, Cinder rolled up her sleeve to reveal a white Grimm arm, much to the surprise of everyone present as Ruby exclaimed it.

"A white Grimm arm?"

Then, Skye remembered who she was as she was the reason that she was free from the secret place known as "The Spire", a place where the Atlas military placed secrets that they felt Remnant shouldn't know about.

"Now I remember you. You're the girl who tried to kidnap me. But you let me go in the end."

"I know. Since I've met you, you gave me a lot to think about."

Karse knew it made sense.

"Of course. Because of her positive influence on the Grimm, your body which has assimilated it wanted to change, too."

"Yeah. Where's Raider?"

Qrow then pointed to his unconscious body on the stretcher.

"Take a guess."

As Cinder took one look at him, she grew scared for him.

"What happened to him?"

Ruby explained what happened to her in a solemn voice.

"Raider was telling me off because I was going psycho on Oscar. And then he started screaming in pain and Skye was able to stop it from getting worse. I don't know if he's going to wake up."

Karse had a theory about what was going on with Raider as he spoke to Skye.

"Tell me. Has this happened to him before?"

"Yeah. Just before we got to Haven. Why?"

"Hmm..."

With that, Karse held his staff out toward Raider and checked on him as the tip of it glowed yellow before turning purple, conforming Karse's fear.

"Oh, dear..."

Lionheart was afraid to ask about what it meant.

"What's going on with him?"

"Raider is being confronted by the devil. One of his own making."

This made everyone concerned before Ruby and Skye asked him.

"But why is this happening now?"

"Was it because of me?"

"No, young ones. It isn't because of you. When Raider looks into one's life, he takes great risk of finding pain and suffering. And that is liable to make him angry enough to force him into unleashing it. I'm surprised he didn't feel this way when he encountered the White Fang."

Ruby grew concerned about the best way to help before Karse told her the only option to do for him.

"How can we help him?"

"As of now, we cannot. Raider must face his devil alone. All we can do is wait and pray that he will defeat him."

Ruby then knelt down to him and held her hands together and placed them on his chest before speaking.

"I'm so sorry for making you this way, Raider. You have to fight him. Fight him and come back to us. Please."

* * *

 _In his mind, Raider was having difficulty trying to defeat him as he got chucked to a wall in the dust mine incident before the devil spoke._

" _You can't win, Raider. You're just a frightened child, a fractured piece of your own psyche. A little boy crying out to be loved. And you're afraid of me, as you should be, because I'm going to erase you from your own mind."_

 _The devil then roared as it lunged toward him before Raider jumped away and dodged the devil's claws. The devil then snarled as Raider got his Armageddon out._

" _That won't happen! I've got too much to fight for!"_

" _Too bad, you'll die soon..."_

 _As the devil leaped at him, it scratched Raider's face as he exclaimed._

* * *

In the forest, Raider began groaning much to Ruby's worry before she spoke.

"Raider! Come on! Don't give in!"

As Cinder grew worried for her friend, she noticed Skye doing the same for him as her blue markings glowed brighter.

"Please, Raider. We need you with us."

* * *

 _In his nightmare, Raider was tossed to the ground before the devil spoke._

" _Are you afraid, boy?"_

" _The only thing I'm afraid of is what'll happen if you win. That's why I won't lose!"_

 _At that moment, his Armageddon began glowing white with blue markings. This made Raider confused before he figured it out._

" _Skye... was that you?"_

 _The devil then glared at him before he spoke to him._

" _You will thank me one day."_

" _It'll be a cold day in the underworld before I ever do."_

" _That's the idea."_

 _Then, the devil roared as it ran to him before Raider stopped his claw with his sword, knocking the creature back with a shockwave before it noticed its arm was singed._

" _No... get back!"_

 _Raider noticed this and smirked at him._

" _What's wrong? Afraid of the light?"_

" _You ungrateful beast!"_

 _The devil then roared, causing the background to become entombed in shadows before Raider was forced to use his sword as a lantern before the devil then attacked Raider with a slash which forced him to the ground before the devil chuckled._

" _Did you fall again, child?"_

" _Shut up! Just get out of my head and stay out!"_

" _Don't blame me for the darkness in your mind!"_

 _The devil then attacked him with his breath of black fire which forced Raider to block it with his sword before the devil vanished again as his voice echoed._

" _Come and get me!"_

* * *

As the rest of the group joined in to help Ruby and Skye, Cinder stood amazed as their auras blended in with Raider's before Karse spoke to her.

"If you wish to help, now is the time."

With that, Cinder took a deep breath before she knelt down, placed her hands on his chest, closed her eyes, and spoke to him.

"Please, Raider..."

* * *

 _In the nightmare, Raider heard her voice._

" _I'm so sorry I betrayed you. Please. Fight it and come back."_

 _That caught him by surprise as he spoke._

" _Cinder?"_

 _Suddenly, his Armageddon glowed bright white before being coated in a bright blue fire, making it worse as the glare alone seemed to hurt the devil._

" _Stop hurting me! Why do you persecute me?!"_

" _Because you've done nothing but bring misery to my life and everyone else's. I won't let you do this anymore!"_

 _With that, Raider planted his Armageddon to the ground before the light cracked through the darkness until it was now changed to a background of a rocky background before he spoke._

" _What happened... where did I go wrong with you?"_

 _Raider then lifted the sword from the ground before he spoke with the spirits of Ruby, Team JNPR, Emerald, Mercury, Qrow, and even Cinder beside him._

" _Haven't you figured it out? The fact that you're the devil is exactly why you've lost. Light will always prevail because we believe in each other."_

" _No! You're not strong enough! You're just a child!"_

" _On my own, maybe. But I'm not alone. Light will always prevail because we believe in each other. My friends didn't give up on me. Instead, out there, they did everything they can to save me. Something you'll never understand."_

 _With that, Raider thrusted his sword into the devil's chest as he exclaimed in agony before it pleaded with him._

" _Raider, please... I only meant to..."_

" _Don't even bother apologizing. I've got better things to deal with right now."_

 _Then, Raider shouted as he lifted the sword up and split the devil in half as he roared in defeat before fading away into black dust. With that, he sighed as his Armageddon changed back to normal although the blue markings were still present._

* * *

In the real world, Raider's dark half suddenly began fading away into black dust, catching Ruby and Cinder's attention.

"Look. Something's happening."

The group then noticed Raider's black half fading into dust before his human self had revealed itself before black markings appeared on his skin before he woke up with a gasp, much to the group's surprise before Raider stood up. Then, Ruby grew ecstatic before she hugged him.

"Raider!"

As he grunted, he noticed her happy face.

"Hi."

Then Raider gave her a noogie as she giggled before she spoke.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

Then, Raider looked around to see Team JNPR, Qrow, Lionheart, Skye, Karse, and, most surprisingly, Cinder and her team before he spoke.

"Cinder? Why are you—"

With that, Cinder took her turn to hug him before she spoke.

"I'm really sorry about what I did to you. What I did to everyone. I don't expect you to forgive me, but..."

Suddenly, Raider wrapped his arms around her before he spoke softly.

"I do. I heard your voice when I was fighting the devil. You were there for me. I'm not proud of the choices you've made, but... I'm proud you chose to help."

This made Cinder smile as she lightly sobbed her tears of joy on his shoulder before they heard rustling in the bushes. The group turned to see the rustling bush before Qrow got his Harbinger ready only for a Faunus messenger to arrive from it before he lowered his weapon and spoke to him.

"Are you kidding me? You scared us half to death."

"Sorry. I just got a message for Professor Lionheart."

"Oh! I believe that's me."

The professor then walked over to the messenger as he spoke.

"I'm dreadfully sorry about this. You must've gone through quite an ordeal."

"That would be an understatement, sir. But I appreciate it."

When Lionheart looked at the message, he noticed the name saying Ghira Belladonna before he opened it and read it. Once he finished, Lionheart gasped in terror before Raider spoke.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's going wrong in Menagerie. Adam Taurus is planning to overthrow Sienna Kahn for leadership of the White Fang and stage an attack on Haven Academy."

This made the group gasp before Ruby asked him about someone.

"What about Blake? Did it say anything about her?"

Lionheart sighed before he answered.

"No. But the message came from her father. It's safe to assume she went to Menagerie after the Fall of Beacon."

That made Ruby give a sigh of relief before she spoke.

"That's good. Maybe Yang would be happy about it."

That made Ruby remember where her sister is.

"Wait! Duh! Yang is with her mom! Raider, can you take us there?"

Raider then got out his Armageddon which now bore blue markings before he opened a light blue portal and answered.

"What do you think?"

* * *

At Vale, Gath was leading the captured Huntsmen and Huntresses to a crater as he barked at them.

"March, you dogs! March!"

As they did, Weiss, Logan, Sienna, and Ellie snuck behind the buildings avoiding detection as he spoke.

"You will find the Relic of Choice, or you will find the consequences of my impatience!"

As he said this, Weiss noticed Winter and Mount near the pillars as she set up explosives on them while Mount tried his best to break Glynda's chains. It was fair to say Glynda was afraid of him at first, but now she's relieved to see he was on her side. As Mount tried to remove them, though, he risked catching their attention as the chains practically screamed when they came apart and fell to the floor before Gath turned to the commotion and saw Mount pulling Glynda up as he glared at him.

"Mount. Seekers, after him!"

Then, the Seekers ran toward him as they screeched before being blocked by a giant white-blue statue with a long sword.

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "This Life is Mine"**_

This made Gath growl before Weiss spoke to Logan.

"Go get my sister and the others out of there!"

"What about you?"

Sienna spoke as she walked up and got her chain out before she spoke.

"I'll be her backup."

Logan nodded to her before he spoke.

"Okay. Cool."

Then, Logan ran over to Winter, Mount, and Glynda as Sienna leaped out while Ellie hung back. As the Seekers came after her, Siena used her chain to wrap around one before flinging him to many others before she leaped behind one of them charging at her and kicking it on the back before the giant knight attacked the Seekers that came at it with its sword.

" _ **Shame that it took so long to rescue me**_

 _ **From the guilt you used to tie me to your family tree"**_

As the giant knight took care of them, Sienna tossed a small dagger at the chains and froze it with ice before breaking it apart as she spoke to them.

"Don't worry! More help would arrive soon!"

And she was right as Penny and Dr. Polendina arrived with the Atlesians that were unfazed by Barak's words and pointed their weapons at the Seekers before firing at them while a pilot spoke.

"Everyone, head into the airship!"

As Gath noticed the prisoners running to the airship that's landed, he snarled before calling out the Lancers.

"Don't let them escape!"

With that, Lancers came into the sky and immediately came towards them, catching Penny's attention as she spoke to her pilot.

"Keep it steady!"

" _ **I guess your training failed, you're not in charge, I'm free**_

 _ **Your patriarchal prison won't hold me"**_

Then, Penny went on top of the airship before summoning her knives and using them to block the Lancers' stingers and fling them at their faces, causing them to break down in black dust as she smirked before looking to see Winter, Logan, and Mount carrying Glynda to the airship. As they got closer, Gath wouldn't accept it.

"No one leaves here alive! NO ONE!"

Then, she noticed Gath running towards them before jumping from her airship and towards him.

" _ **Now this conversation's finally over, Mirror, Mirror now we're done**_

 _ **I've pulled myself together now, my mind and heart are one**_

 _ **Finally one"**_

With that, Gath noticed her shadow before looking to see Penny smiling at him before using her swords to attack, only for Gath to counter with his own sword swiftly before he ended up being kicked in the chest. Then, Sienna wrapped her chains around his arm holding the sword before he only pulled in it, dragging her with it and flinging her to a wall before Penny was forced to use her swords to keep him away as they created a barrier around him. With that, the swords engaged in an electrical barrier to trap him.

" _ **I'm not your pet, not another thing you own**_

 _ **I was not born guilty of your crimes, your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore."**_

Then, the statue noticed Gath trapped before he raised his sword and aimed to plunge it before he spoke to Weiss.

"This isn't over! All of Remnant will tear you apart!"

"I don't think so."

Then, she urged the statue to plunge his sword toward Gath which then faded into black dust as he screamed in agony while a shockwave went off in Vale.

" _ **I won't be possessed, burdened by a royal test**_

 _ **I will not surrender, this life is mine!"**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "This Life is Mine"**_

Unfortunately, that shockwave also attracted the attention of the other Grimm as they headed to the area of impact before Logan ran over to her.

"You okay, Weiss?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That's everyone. We need to go!"

As Logan and Weiss ran to the airship, they jumped into it with Ellie pulling them up as a Lancer tried to fling its stinger at it, only for Mount to grab it and fling it directly at its face before it flew backward and faded to black dust as he turned to the group and smiled before Logan spoke.

"Nice job, wingman!"

As Logan did a fist bump with him, Ellie cleared her throat before she spoke.

"Who's that?"

"It's a long story. What now, Winter?"

"We need to go to Mistral and see if the others are alright."

Weiss could agree as she nodded.

"Amen to that."

Then, Weiss turned to Sienna, seeing her concern for the Faunus before she spoke.

"It'll be okay, Sienna. They have a friend who can take you to your people in a flash. Once we get there, you won't have to be around us anymore."

Sienna smiled before she spoke to her.

"Thank you."

"No, Sienna. Thank _you_."

With that, the remaining Atlas ships that were unplagued by Barak's words headed to Mistral, unsure how to save the rest of their friends.

* * *

Later, Yang, Nico, and Raven were in the tent before Vernal cane in and spoke to the leader.

"Raven..."

"What is it?"

"A portal is in our camp."

That made Yang and the others curious before Nico spoke.

"Is it Salem?"

"We don't know."

With that, they walked out of the camp to see Ruby, Karse, Skye, Lionheart, Team JNPR, Qrow, Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Neo, and Raider before Yang widened her eyes.

"Ruby?"

When Ruby noticed her, the guilt of having killed her in the past out of anger as well as leaving Yang after the Fall of Beacon made her extremely penitent, forgetting everything that happened between the two after.

"Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I-I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just... I wasn't sure if you needed me around and—"

As she went on, Nico spoke to Yang in a whisper.

"Wow. What a chatterbox, am I right?"

Yang didn't seem to pay attention to him. Because before she could continue, Yang hugged her as Ruby shed tears like they were squeezed out by the contact.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Nico then took his words back silently before he sighed and smiled at this reunion. Just then, they heard more rustling in the bushes to find Weiss, Winter, Penny, Mount, Logan, Ellie, and Dr. Polendina as Ruby and Yang noticed her.

"Weiss."

As Ruby and Yang held their hands out, Weiss smiled before running into their arms with a smile before Logan, Ellie, and Winter smiled before Nico cleared his throat before speaking.

"Sorry to break up the reunion... BUT WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"


	9. Own Worst Enemy

**Chapter 8:** "Own Worst Enemy"

The next morning since the beginning of the anti-Huntsman sentiment, Ruby was lying on the floor before Weiss walked over to her and spoke to her.

"You're up early."

"Hey, Weiss. What's Yang doing?"

"She's talking with her mom and Nico about how to stop Salem."

Ruby found it hard to believe as she replied sarcastically.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Nico just told me her side of the story."

"And you believed him?"

Then, Yang spoke to Ruby far away as they'd decided to take a break.

"He's really coming around, Ruby. Him and Mom. Speaking of, she got coffee for us."

As Yang handed out a cup to Weiss, Ruby refused it due to the taste.

"No, please!"

"Don't worry. I put in inhuman amounts of cream and sugar just for you."

"Aww, yeah! Big sister strikes again."

As she handed her cup to Ruby, Yang sat down beside them before she spoke.

"I can't believe we're in Mistral."

" _That's_ what you can't believe?"

"Well, yeah! And all the other Grimmwalker legends and magic and stuff, but... Okay, you know what I mean!"

Weiss then spoke up to them.

"I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you two again."

"Well, here's to defying expectations."

Then, Ruby remembered a situation from last night and what she must be doing.

"I just wish Blake could be here with us."

Yang, still hurt by Blake's act of running, the same act committed by her mother, felt differently.

"Yeah, well, she made her choice."

Then, Nico overheard the conversation before he spoke.

"Who made whose choice, exactly?"

Yang, surprised by Nico's "jump scare" gave him a punch on the arm.

"Ow!"

"Don't do that, okay?"

"Geez, sorry. Anyway, who were you talking about?"

"No one."

Nico could tell she didn't want to talk about it, but he needed to know.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"She's talking about Blake."

"Ruby!"

"Oh. And, uh, what did you mean by that?"

Yang, after sighing now that Nico is part of the conversation, answered him.

"I mean, she could've been here if she just stuck around. It's no big deal, though. We'll be fine."

Nico didn't seem to believe it, given that Blake was her best friend at Beacon.

"But what about _her_ , though?"

"Who cares?"

"You should."

Weiss then spoke to the two of them.

"Okay. Calm down—"

However, that only earned a simultaneous response from the two of them as Yang's eyes turned red.

"Don't tell us to calm down!"

That made Ruby concerned for Yang in spite of the two speaking intermittently.

"Yang..."

Then, Yang realized her outburst before tensing her hand holding the cup before getting up and walking to her tent.

"Whatever."

As she did, Raider noticed this and sighed before he decided to follow.

* * *

At Menagerie, Blake was out on the backyard porch as she looked out at the night sky before Sun called out to her.

"Hey, Blake! You ready to go?"

"Be right there!"

As she tried to leave, her hand felt a letter on the structure before taking it out and noticing the words.

 _"B_

 _Things going too far_

 _Not sure what to do_

 _Find a quiet spot,_

 _I'll find you._

 _Come alone, please._

 _-I"_

As Blake was considering this, Sun spoke to her.

"We going recruiting or what? We've got the entire nocturnal section to hit up."

Blake didn't respond before Sun spoke to her again.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you there. I have to take care of something first."

As she walked away, Blake didn't notice Illia on the trees before she disappeared.

* * *

At the camp, Yang was alone in her tent before she heard the flap moving.

"Look, Ruby, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just leave me alone for a bit?"

When she looked up, she noticed Raven, Weiss, and Raider before they came in and sat down as her mother spoke.

"Oh! Hey, guys. Did you need something?"

"We just need you to open up. That's all."

"Raider and Weiss told us about the... altercation this morning. Any reason why it's bothering you?"

Yang sighed before answering.

"I know she's our teammate. But I'm not just going to change my mind. I'm sorry. I just... I don't think you know what it's like to be left, Weiss. You have a giant family. Recitals to perform at, dinners to attend...! I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. Ruby's mom left too, in a way. Tai was always busy with school and Ruby couldn't even talk yet. I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone."

Then, Raider spoke to her.

"But you didn't this time. Instead, you just let everyone you know drift apart. That gave Salem the opportunity to turn your sister into your own worst enemy. And she killed you for it. How long do you think it'll be until that happens to Blake?"

"Why should I care?"

"Because she left to _protect_ you, Yang. If that's not good enough for you... then you should've stayed dead."

That made Yang gasp before Raven nudged him.

"Raider!"

"It's true, though. Isn't it? Then, Blake would've learned the hard way and would've killed herself, too. Is that what you wanted?"

Yang didn't answer as she held her head down. Raider then realized Weiss hadn't said a word before he spoke.

"Weiss. If you have something to say, now's the time."

"When I was 10, my dad finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name. It was actually on my birthday. He missed the big dinner. She got mad. He finally snapped. I think she already knew. Looking back, I think I knew too. But hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge."

Raider can tell what happened.

"Then he killed her. Right in front of you. Didn't he?"

Weiss shook her head before she answered.

"Nope. But... it still broke her heart. Since then, it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals. A glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then it was no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here, and well, you get the idea."

Raven could understand why Weiss wanted to be at Beacon now.

"Well... no wonder you wanted to leave your broken family."

That earned a nudge from Raider before he spoke.

"Raven!"

"It's true, though. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. Sad, but true."

That made Yang feel bad about what she said to her.

"I'm really sorry. I... shouldn't have assumed."

"You're right, though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And... I'll bet Blake has her own version too."

Raider could agree as he looked at her life with his semblance before.

"She's right. The whole time she was with you, she was afraid to open up to people and was trying to keep her life at Beacon and her past life separate. But, in the end, the wall she built up came down. And at that moment, she was proven right. She put herself at fault for what happened to you."

"No one blamed her for anything. If she had just talked to us, she would have known that! How could I be there for her if she doesn't let me? What if I needed her here for me?"

"That doesn't matter. After she left... she hoped you hated her for leaving. Now you've granted her final wish."

As Raider remembered what he said earlier, Yang felt agonizing pain in her heart.

"You... you mean..."

"No. She's not dead. Yet. But it's only a matter of time."

This made Yang break down in tears as Raven walked to her and hugged her.

"I know it's not easy. No doubt your friends wished she hadn't left, too. The only thing we can do is be here for her when she's ready. When she comes back."

Remembering how hurt Blake must've been, Yang could only assume the worst.

" _If_ she comes back."

"She will. And if not, we'll do her one better and come after her ourselves."

Weiss then joined in as she spoke.

"Yang. You, Ruby, and even Blake are more family to me than my brother or especially my father. I would do anything for you three, and I'm willing to bet Blake feels the same way. So, when she's ready, I'll be there for her. And, I know we're not as close, but... I'm here for you too."

Just then, Lionheart came in with Ruby and Sienna before she spoke.

"Is everything okay?"

Yang looked to her company before she answered.

"Yeah. It is."

Then, Lionheart walked up to her before she handed her a letter.

"Good, because you might need to read this. We've been meaning to give this to you since we've arrived, but we needed our rest."

As Yang looked it over, she widened her eyes in terror at the mention of one Adam Taurus before she tensed her mechanic fist, catching Ruby's worry.

"Yang?"

Then, Yang stood up defiantly and turned to Raven.

"Take me to Blake. Now."

At Menagerie, Blake went to a quiet area before she called out for her.

"Illia?"

"I'm here."

She then noticed Illia covered in black before her skin color changed to normal. Seeing this, Blake tried reaching out to her.

"Illia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be. My family and I, we can keep you safe."

Illia only looked away as she held her hands up.

"I'm sorry."

"You can make it up to me by helping us stop Crimson."

Illia then repeated herself in a different tone.

"No. I'm sorry."

Then, Illia closed her fist before a red glow came from behind her, urging Blake to turn around before seeing an aura slash hit her legs, tripping her while cutting them as Blake began breathing erratically as Adam spoke.

"Long time no see, my love."

As Blake tried to stand up, Adam only kicked her to the ground before planting his foot into her chest, earning her pained scream as Adam looked to her.

"You did a good job, Illia. You made the White Fang proud."

Then, Blake glared at her before she spoke.

"Illia! What are you doing?"

"I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me you're sorry!"

"But I am. I am sorry it has to be this way. But you and your family are holding the Faunus back."

"Because we're trying to protect people?! In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!"

"The same one as you! There's no such thing as innocent, there's no right thing to do; only what's best for us. There's the humans that still hate the Faunus and Skye, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen! Why do you think Skye tore her hometown apart?! But you know what snaps out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people, but I'll tell you this: it's gotten us results."

"Yeah. Look where it's gotten you."

Illia only held her head down before she spoke again.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good. No matter how much it hurts."

"And you think killing me is for the greater good?"

Adam then answered for her.

"I'm not killing you for the greater good, Blake. I'm doing it for _me_. I lost my _father,_ my only family _,_ to your Grimmite friend! And I'm going to make you all pay by taking away _yours_."

That made Blake's eyes widen in terror before she spoke.

"You wouldn't. You can't! I won't let you!"

Then, Adam pressed his foot against her, earning her agonized scream before he spoke.

"Of course not. That's why you're coming with me to Mistral. My partner's representative has already called out the anti-Huntsman regiment. I'm taking you with me to watch as your friends are gutted and slain, one... by... one."

This brought tears to Blake's eyes before she tried to reach out to Illia again.

"Illia, please! You don't have to do this! This isn't you!"

"Yes, it is. But I guess back then you were just too busy falling for Adam to notice. I was always jealous of the way you looked at Adam. I wanted you to look at me that way. But we can't always get what we want."

"And now... neither will humanity."

As Adam raised his sword to strike, a red portal opened up behind them. Suddenly, Yang came out screaming in anger as she headed toward Adam, who then proceeded to slash at her, only for her robot arm to catch it, surprising him.

"What?!"

"You're... going... TO PAY!"

With that, Yang shot her Ember Celica at Adam, knocking him back before colliding into Illia as well. As Sienna came out of the portal next, Yang then looked down to see Blake in pain before she ran over to her.

"Blake!"

Blake then noticed Yang in surprise before she spoke.

"Yang...?"

Yang then hugged her before she spoke softly.

"I'm so glad I made it."

Then, Adam and Illia glared at them before the High Leader spoke.

"I don't know how you got here. But you won't be leaving alive."

Blake begged to differ as she called out to the sky.

"Now!"

Suddenly, Sun came from the rooftop and kicked Illia away before he engaged against Adam who then spoke to her as she recovered.

"Don't worry about me! Just go after the Belladonnas!"

Illia then nodded to her before she ran out as Adam then took his cue to knock Sun away before vanishing into the dark. Then, Blake turned to Sun as she stood up.

"Thanks for the backup."

"Thanks for the invitation. You okay?"

"No. You heard what Adam said; my family is in danger."

Sienna, realizing that her parents were in danger as the letter said, turned to her friend's daughter.

"Then what do we do?"

"Call the police and let's go."

"Right."

With that, the group took off as Yang spoke to Blake.

"What's been going on with you?"

"It's a long story."

Then, Blake noticed Yang's appearance and her new arm.

"What about you?"

"It's an equally long story."

Then, Blake and Sun attempted to call the police force as Blake whispered to herself.

"Come on, Mom. Pick up."

* * *

In the Kuo Kuana mansion, the Belladonnas were not only under the attack of the White Fang, but also Crimson's followers as the guardsman flipped the table to give Kali cover.

"Get down!"

As the guardsman shot at them, he managed to shoot a member down before a Grimmite fired a Lancer stinger from his arm and into his heart, killing him before Kali took the weapon and shot at them.

"Get out of my house! Ghira?"

His situation wasn't any better as Ghira and two guardsmen were under attack as well. Although, the guard did knock out a member, they were still outnumbered as Ghira had to overcome several more before he gave him an order.

"Go find my wife!"

He then karate chopped another member in the neck and chucked him away before dark claws penetrated his guard and chucked him to a wall before Randall, Corsac, and Fennec stepped forward.

"I did warn you. If you join them, you'll die with them."

"I believe it's time out dear chieftain step down, brother."

"Yes, brother. I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree."

"And don't think this is gonna end there. Crimson's out there taking care of her little friends, too. You only have yourselves to blame... for ever existing."

This made Ghira tense his fist before it sprouted claws and he took off his robe before he snarled and roared at them.

At Mistral, Vernal walked over to Neo before she spoke.

"Long time no see."

Neo smiled back at her as she stood up.

"I could say the same thing."

Then, Neo remembered the last time she saw her before she spoke.

"Vernal... I'm sorry I left you. But it was the only one to..."

Before she could finish, Vernal places her hand on her shoulder before she spoke.

"It's okay. I know you did it for me. That's nothing to apologize for."

This made Neo smile before they heard footsteps from far away before they looked there and saw two red eyes in the dark as he stepped forward with Lavender, Tarifa (a Spider Faunus), and Yuma.

 _ **Play Eminem Music: "Venom"**_

Neo and Vernal grew worried before the latter called Raven out.

"Raven!"

As luck would have it, she just came out with Cinder, Mercury and Emerald before they, Team JNPR, Qrow, Skye, Raider, Weiss, Logan, Penny, and the others noticed this, too as Crimson revealed his claw and strolled toward the camp with Atlesians soldiers standing guard before he smirked.

" _ **I've got a song filled with spite for the strong-willed**_

 _ **When the world gives you a raw deal, sets you off till you**_

 _ **Scream 'I will kill you' when it talks to you**_

 _ **Like you don't belong, it tells you you're in the wrong field**_

 _ **When something's in your mitochondrial 'cause it latched on to you like"**_

Suddenly, Crimson thrusted his Grimm arm to a soldier, impaling him before he pulled him closer to him and tossed him into the forest. Following this, Crimson smirked before he spoke.

"Who's next?"

The Atlesian soldiers only moved closer to him to keep him away before he spoke.

"All of you? Fine by me."

Then, as Crimson continued hacking them to pieces, Skye grew worried about the noise outside before Korihor laughed maniacally in his cage.

"I told you! I told you all! You're as good as dead already!"

" _ **Knock knock, let the devil in**_

 _ **Malevolent as I've ever been, head is spinnin'**_

 _ **This medicine's screaming 'l-l-l-let is in!'**_

 _ **L-l-like a salad bowl, Edgar Allen Poe**_

 _ **Bedridden, should have been dead a long time ago"**_

Then, Raider got out his Armageddon before he opened a dark blue portal before jumping into it and coming out to fight Crimson, who noticed this before he clashed his claw with his sword. As this happened, Lavender and the others watched while Raider initiated a dialogue with him.

"We don't have to fight! It never stops, and it doesn't fix anything!"

"You've been ruined by that Grimmwalker. She and those humans are the imperfection I mean to correct."

"No one is perfect."

"I am."

" _ **Volkswagen, tailspin, bucket matches my pale skin**_

 _ **Mayo, and went from Hellmann's and being rail thin**_

 _ **Filet-O-Fish, Scribble Jam, Rap Olympics '97 Freaknik**_

 _ **How can I be down? Me and Bizarre in Florida**_

 _ **Proof's room slept on the floor of the motel then**_

 _ **Dr. Dre said, 'heck, yeah!'**_

 _ **And I got his stamp like a postcard, word to mailman"**_

Then, Crimson shoved Raider away before moving in towards him and trying to stab him, only for Raider to block it before he continued his clash up until Crimson punches Raider in the chest and tossed him through the gate, splintering it into pieces before he walked in and surveyed the people in the camp with a grin as they trembled in his presence before he noticed Raven and smirked.

" _ **And I know they're gonna hate**_

 _ **But I don't care, I barely can wait**_

 _ **To hit them with the snare and the bass**_

 _ **Square in the face, this horrible world better prepared to get laced**_

 _ **Because they're gonna taste my**_

 _ **VENOM**_ _**(I got that) adrenaline momentum**_

 _ **And I'm not knowin' when I'm**_

 _ **Ever gonna slow up and I'm**_

 _ **Ready to snap at any moment I'm**_

 _ **Thinkin' its time we go get 'em**_

 _ **They ain't gonna know what hit 'em**_

 _ **(W-W-When they get bit with the—)**_

 _ **VENOM"**_

"Hello, Raven."

Raven then spoke to Crimson in an angry tone.

"Crimson. What are you doing here?"

"Have you forgotten?"

Crimson then smiled darkly at Raven as his eyes glowed red.

"It's challenge day."

" _ **Knock knock, let the devil in"**_

 _ **End Eminem Music: "Venom"**_

 **A/N: Surprise! I know you're wondering where this music came from. Well, I happened to listen to this music. And while I can't say I approve of the foul language, it's got pretty sick beats. Besides, Blake said Crimson is venom, so it seemed fitting to use it.**


	10. Two-Faced

**Chapter 9:** "Two-Faced"

Crimson glared at Raven as the White Fang joined him before she spoke.

"I don't recall inviting so many guests. Either I'm losing my memory, or you've all lost your spines!"

"Look who's talking. If I recall correctly, _you're_ the one who ran away. Which is why... I've come to end you."

Sensing a bloody confrontation, Raven spoke to the tribe.

"Leave us. Pack your things, then break down camp. We're moving."

However, Crimson had other plans as he turned to Lavender.

"No one is leaving. Lavender."

With that, Lavender got out her sword and slammed it to the ground, causing a tremor that made the earth crack with dark mists coming out before they swarmed around one bandit and trapped him before the mists trapped the rest of them, earning Raven's shocked gasp as her nemesis spoke.

"You're not going to run away, Raven. Not alive, at least. Least of all, from Salem."

"I know all about your master. What I don't know is how you've found us."

"Well, let's just say... a certain rose scattered to me."

That made Qrow fear the worst before he spoke to him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?"

Then, as Crimson snapped his fingers, Ruby suddenly attacked Qrow and Raven with the swing of her scythe before leaping beside him and opening her eyes to reveal that they're as red as Crimson's, leaving Skye and the others worried.

"Ruby? What are you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago. Having to work with you pathetic Huntsmen and Huntresses has been nothing but torture! But it'll all be worth it when I see Raven scream for what she did to my mother."

That made Raven widened her eyes before she glared at him, to which Crimson countered.

"Don't blame me, Raven. You made that happen. Ruby has been on the winning team for a while now. In fact, she has been ever since she bonded with that comet."

That made Raider tense his fist as he spoke.

"I knew there was something she didn't tell us."

Skye then tried to speak with Ruby.

"But why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fair. I used to think we could be decent people in an indecent time. But I was wrong. The world is cruel. And the person who made that happen is that traitor, Raven Branwen! She took my mom's power for herself and left her to die!"

"So this whole time... you were _using_ us?!"

"Really? You just figured that out now? Pathetic."

As Skye growled in anger, Karse placed his hand on her shoulder.

"No, Skye. Not here."

"I needed payback from her, but I couldn't achieve that alone. I needed someone to gain Yang's trust to get close to her."

Then, Raven turned to Nico as he held his head down.

"And it turned out it was a mistake. Not only did he fail miserably at the mission, but he'd grown soft in the meantime. So I decided to forget all about him and go to Crimson. As luck would have it, Crimson paid me a visit when I ran away. He gave me a better offer. If I told him where Raven was, he would give me the Justice we deserved. I was practically giddy when I laid it all out to him."

Qrow then glared at Ruby as he spoke.

"So, you turned your back on being a Huntress, a loyal friend, just to get even?"

"No. I did it to make her suffer. And for siding with her... you'll all die, too."

As Raven, Raider, Team JNPR, Qrow, Skye, and Karse glared at her, Lionheart, Cinder, Mercury, Neo, and Emerald grew concerned for the tribe before Crimson spoke.

"Now. Like I said, it's challenge day. So I challenge Raven Branwen!"

As the tribe gasped at this, he spoke onward.

"You have dishonored me! You have dishonored Summer! And worst of all, you dishonored our family name! And we demand satisfaction against you! To the death!"

As the crowd murmured in horror, Raven then stepped up and spoke.

"Alright. I accept your challenge. On one condition. If I win, you will leave me and my tribe alone. But if you win, you will kill me, but leave everyone else out of this."

Crimson sighed before he spoke.

"We'll see. The battle starts at sunset. Don't be late."

With that, they walked out of the gate as Ruby proceeded to join him before looking back to Skye who held great concern for her only for the former to scoff before walking with them.

* * *

At Menagerie, gunshots were heard at the doors of Kuo Kuana as Blake, Sienna, Yang, and Sun arrived there as Ghira leaped onto a platform before swiping his claws at a White Fang member before another tried to stab him before Ghira caught it and chucked her to Fennec. As Ghira prepared to launch his spear at him, Corsac fired a flame bullet from his dagger both hitting each other as Ghira went backwards while it attached his cloak to the wall, earning Fennec's concern.

"Brother!"

As Ghira snarled, Fennec tried to blow him away with the wind from his dagger, pushing him back while a White Fang member prepared to shoot him, only for Yang to break through the glass and knock him out as Sun arrived with her. Then, Corsac remover himself from his cloak before he and Fennec used their daggers to create a tornado of wind and fire before Sun blocked it with his staff, earning Yang's worry.

"Sun!"

"Hurry!"

At that moment, Randall prepared to impale Sun, only for Yang to notice before firing her Ember Celica at Randall, knocking him back. Next, Blake and Sienna prepared their weapons before the brothers noticed them with shock evident at Sienna's return. As Blake got down and dodged their blasts, Sienna used her chain to wrap their daggers together and trapped them before she joined Sun, Ghira, and Yang. With that, Blake turned to Ghira, confusing Yang.

"Dad, where's Mom?"

"Wait, Dad?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure, I got ambushed right away."

"Once we take down Corsac, Fennec, and Randall—"

"No, go now."

"But—"

"You keep assuring me your friend isn't a complete waste of space. Let's see him prove it!"

Then, Sun and Sienna spoke up.

"We got this, Blake. I've wanted to sock these creeps since the day we've met."

"You'll have to wait in line."

"Blake, go!"

With that, Blake and Yang took off inside the house as Corsac, Fennec, and Randall glared at Ghira, Sienna, and Sun.

"I won't let you down, sir and ma'am."

Then, Ghira and Sienna spoke at the same time.

"Shut up."

"You got it."

With that, the battle of 3 against 3 took place.

* * *

At the camp, Raven was contemplating how to go about it just as she heard Skye vent her sorrows toward Karse.

"Why?! How could Ruby be using us?!"

"As I've told you, not even Ruby was incorruptible. That comet changed her the moment she entered it. Though the change was gradual, her mind was warped."

"Why did she have to do that to me?! I thought... I thought we were friends..."

As Skye cried on his shoulder, Karse petted her back as he spoke.

"You are friends. But remember, Ruby is not herself. She'd been infected with its evil."

"How can we get her back then?"

"I don't know. But we will find out before the sun sets."

As Raven held her head down, having played a role in her corruption, Vernal, Raider, and Qrow entered her tent.

"Yes?"

"We followed them as you asked."

"Did they spot you?"

"Of course not. Are you kidding?"

It seems like they're camping out getting ready for challenge day."

"Thank you, guys. Anything else?"

Vernal then voiced her concerns to Raven.

"Do you really think Crimson would let us go, if you win or lose?"

"Of course not. Crimson hated me and my tribe for so long mercy would be the last thing on his mind. He'll never leave us alone. That's why I need you to make a portal to Haven Academy and send them there before he can go after them."

"But what about you? Crimson will tear you apart. _I_ barely made a dent in him."

Raven didn't want to discuss it any further as she got up and walked out, but not before she turned to them.

"Then... at least I'll have paid for my mistakes. This part won't be easy for us either, but we must do what's right for the tribe."

"I know. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good."

With that, Raven walked out of the tent as Vernal and Qrow looked to Raider before he spoke to him.

"So... I guess we know what we're doing tonight."

Later, the Brawnwen Tribe, the White Fang, and Lavender were encircling the camp as Pyrrha turned to Jaune.

"Jaune. I'm... worried."

"I know. But Raven's gotta come through. She has to."

"It's not about that. I'm worried about Ruby. If she could fall to the dark so easily... what does that say about the rest of us?"

"I don't know... but I know we're going to get her back."

"But how?"

Cinder spoke up to Pyrrha next as an answer, catching their attention as she, Karse, and Skye walked up to them.

"We need to do this together. I know you must have no reason to trust me, but we have to. It's the only way any of us will ever see the Ruby we know again."

This made Jaune turn to Pyrrha before he asked.

"Well... what do _you_ think?"

Pyrrha took a moment to sigh before she answered.

"I never imagined, with all of that time practicing my powers on you, Cinder, that we'd ever be on the same side. But... that doesn't make me any less flexible. How do we do this?"

As they made a plan, Raven walked out to the girls where the Grimmite glared at her.

"Just in time. I can't wait to make you scream..."

"Don't count on it."

* * *

At Menagerie, Blake and Yang ran through the hall as she spoke to her friend.

"Where do you think we could find her?"

"I don't know. She could be in the study room."

As they entered the main hall, however, they noticed two shadows from above: Adam and Illia. As Blake glared at Illia, Yang glared at Adam before he spoke.

"You're going to regret coming back here, Blake."

"I'm here for Haven, not for you. But Yang? That's a different story."

Yang proved it as she put her metal fist in her human hand before speaking to him.

"I've been waiting to pay you back for what you put me through."

"Have you? Well, then, all I have to say is..."

He then slowly unsheathed his sword as he spoke.

"...get ready to lose your other arm."


	11. True Colors

**Chapter 10:** "True Colors"

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lusus Naturae"**_

At the field, Raven glared at Crimson as the sun went down, covering it in shadows before he spoke.

"The sun has set. Now, your misery begins. But first..."

With that, Ruby stepped forward beside Crimson before getting out her double-bladed scythe as Raven scoffed.

" _ **Gnarled and mangled**_

 _ **Warped, deformed"**_

"Really? You can't even fight me yourself?"

"Ruby and I are family. Something I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"I understand more than you think."

"Then where is your daughter, now?"

Just then, Skye spoke up.

"I'll fight in her place."

" _ **They see nightmares**_

 _ **A mutant swarm"**_

As Raven turned to see her, Skye stepped forward before she spoke further.

"Yang is fighting for her friend. Raven knew she could handle it because this is something she needed to do for herself. So that's why I'll fight with Raven, to get Ruby back by myself!"

Ruby scoffed at her words before she asked.

"Even if it means killing me?"

Skye hesitated for a moment before she summoned a white chain blade with a blue jewel in the center of the tip as she replied.

"Only if there's no other choice."

" _ **I see beauty underneath**_

 _ **I see promise in nature's freak"**_

"Then so be it."

With that, Crimson and Raven darted toward each other while Skye darted toward Ruby, both sides clashing their blades before Raven held back his claw with her sword before she spoke to him.

"How could you do this to us?!"

"You took away the most important person in my life. Did you really think there wouldn't be any consequences?"

"I was just trying to protect my family."

"Liar! You _betrayed_ your family! And I'm going to make you bleed for this!"

" _ **A mystery of blood and bone**_

 _ **Soulless origin unknown**_

 _ **Twisted devil, villain lost in time**_ "

As Raven pushed Crimson back, Skye was dodging Ruby's scythe before she aimed to slice her from above, only for Skyr to place her chains in front of it, obstructing its path as they initiated their own dialogue.

"I can't believe you, Skye! I loved you like a sister! I should've known you'd turn on me! Just like all the others!"

"Turn?! You were my friend! I respected your purity, your conscience, your spirit, the way you never gave up!"

"That's because we have a duty, a responsibility, to use our talents in the service of others, even if they don't appreciate it. We are doing what's best for those beneath us, for you, whether you understand it or not!"

"No, Ruby! This isn't right! You were everything I wanted to be! You just threw all of it away!"

"And it's been a long time coming."

 _ **"** **Mindless, born of bubbling ooze**_

 _ **Intelligence, I will infuse**_

 _ **A curse upon the world, but now you're mine"**_

With that, Ruby thrusted Skye away before she attempted to stab her, only for the Grimmwalker to swiftly dodge it before she gripped her Crescent Rose with her chains before flinging it away. With that, she turned to Ruby before she spoke.

"You don't have to keep fighting, Ruby. You don't have a weapon."

Then, Ruby moved closer to her before using her head to hit her back before she picked her scythe back up.

"Doesn't mean I don't want to."

 _ **"** **I will raise you up**_

 _ **Design the perfect beast**_

 _ **Elevate the savage**_

 _ **Use you to bring peace"**_

As Ruby smirked, Skye used her aura to create a sword similar to Raider's Armageddon, only the blade was colored white as she engaged to fight her again. All the while, Raven moved in towards Crimson to attack him, only to hit his claw before he retaliated by knocking her away with it, scratching her on the chest in the process before he shouted at her.

"Quit being a coward and show me what you really are!"

This made Raven's eyes flare red before she darted toward him and swiftly swing her sword repeatedly at him before she plunged it into his arm, earning his agonized scream before he pulled back.

"Your aura arm can't protect your arm. Like half of you, it's Grimm. You turned yourself into a monster just to get revenge."

"I don't need aura to kill you."

Then, Crimson lunged at Raven before she lunged toward him, creating a massive shockwave that sent wind everywhere for 10 miles.

 _ **"** **They don't know**_

 _ **They don't understand**_

 _ **There's a goal**_

 _ **It's my master plan**_

 _ **These simple minded fools just see my plans abstruse**_

 _ **I'll give the monster's life a use"**_

With that, Raven used her open hand to freeze Crimson's arm, earning his snarl before she kicked him away and used her sword to slice it off of him before he yelled in pain and she covered her hand in red fire before punching him in the face to the ground farther away.

 _ **"** **Awaken my brood**_

 _ **Today you will rise**_

 _ **I've given you life my Lusus Naturae**_

 _ **Open your eyes"**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Lusus Naturae"**_

As Crimson panted, Raven looked at him with a sad look before she spoke.

"I'm really sorry for what happened to Summer. I was hurting, too. You didn't see that."

"I saw enough. She trusted you, and you _betrayed_ her!"

"It's not that simple, Crimson. You don't know me. You don't know what I've done, the choices I had to make."

"I know well enough who _you_ are. A traitor. A hypocrite. A murderer! A COWARD!"

As Crimson panted his breath, Raven held her head down.

"You're not wrong. I am all of those things you say I am... but that's not all of me. Summer was my friend, too. It's true. When I first stepped into Beacon, I had a mission to train there until I'm ready to kill Huntsmen. But instead... I had something better. Friends."

"And you threw all of it away!"

As Raven heard those words, she shed tears remembering how Summer impacted her.

"Yes. I did. And not a day goes by that I don't wish I could take it back. I haven't gotten over it. What happened to her left me weak, made me scared of my own shadow, because of the haunting memory of what I did to all of you."

As she spoke, Ruby turned to see Raven, listening to her hurt and grief revealing itself.

"I... I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do to prove it to you, but please... let it go."

As Raven tried to offer her hand to help him up, Crimson only spoke darkly.

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass. What was it Qrow said. Oh. That's right. 'Drop dead!'"

With that, Crimson's Grimm arm regenerated before slicing her eyes and earning her pained scream, much to Skye and Qrow's horror and to Ruby's surprise. As Raven put her hands over her eyes, Crimson walked over to her before sitting on top of her.

"You don't know _me_! You don't know what _I've_ done! You don't know the choices _I_ had to make! I killed millions!"

As he began punching Raven with every examples states, Skye, Lavender, Qrow, Neo, Vernal, and even Ruby began to look on in horror as Crimson beat her down.

"Humans! Faunus! Huntsmen! Vandals! Bandits! Civilians! ALL of this death just for this moment! If you thought I'd ever let your tribe go after what you put me through... you're just as foolish as my sister was!"

That made Ruby tense in anger from hearing Crimson mocking her mother before Skye spoke to her.

"See, Ruby? Crimson is no better than what you believed Raven to be. He forsook the whole reason for this and wants everyone around him to suffer like he did, enemy or not. But you're better than that. Aren't you?"

Ruby, still unsure of herself, rebuffed her words.

"W-Why should I care?"

"Despite what she did to you, at least Raven respected your mother. Crimson just called her foolish. Whose side do you want to be on?"

As Ruby looked at Crimson, he raised his claw while he spoke.

"And now, you get to die the same way she did; believing you made any difference when the truth is you've... done... NOTHING!"

As Crimson swiftly lowered his claw, he found himself blocked by a scythe before noticing Ruby in the way.

"What?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm defending my mom's honor... FROM YOU!"

With that, Ruby shoved Crimson away before looking toward Raven, who could only look at where the voice came from as she was blinded.

"Don't think this is over between us."

With that, Ruby darted toward Crimson, forcing him to guard himself as she used her semblance to slash him back and forth repeatedly. As she did this, Vernal took the opportunity to speak to the Branwen Tribe.

"Listen, everyone! You have to get out of here! We can only hold Crimson back as long as we can! You have to run!"

However, Nico spoke up to them.

"No! You can't run away. That's all you've ever done! How can you run away when your leader needs you most? If she's willing to die for you, then you need to do the same for her! Who's with me?!"

As the tribe cheered, Nico shouted to them.

"Then let's make amends for our mistakes and make things right!"

With that, the tribe joined in to fight with the White Fang soldiers surprised before they turned to Lavender.

"What do we do?"

"You heard him. Let's make things right."

As Lavender and her followers went over to the field, Jaune and Vernal ran over to Raven before they carried her out of the field while Karse charged his staff with yellow energy and turned to Cinder.

"Cinder, you must restrain her. This is a shot I can't afford to miss."

"Got it. Emerald."

Emerald nodded to her before she produced an illusion of Crimson all around her. However, Ruby saw through this rise with her red eyes as the illusions were transparent to her while the real Crimson was completely visible. With that, she continued her assault on him with her Crescent Rose as Emerald was having no luck trying to get her to stay still.

"It's not working!"

Then, Cinder summoned her swords in the colors of black and orange before charging toward Ruby and moving in to attack her before she noticed and collided her scythe with them, creating another shockwave in the process as one tried to overpower the other with no success.

"What... are you... doing?!"

"It's for your own good."

At that moment, Karse fired a yellow energy ball at her, knocking Ruby unconscious before Cinder sighed and turned to see that Crimson had lunged at her, only for her to knock him back with her sword as he snarled. As this happened, Skye was lost in the battlefield and tried to find Ruby.

"Ruby! Ruby!"

However, before she could move, Tarifa fired her web at Skye before pulling her in and got out a dagger to stab her, only for Lavender to speak from behind her.

"Wrong move."

With that, Lavender knocked her out with the blunt end of her sword before cutting the web off of her as she spoke.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. But I thought you were against the humans."

"Not all of us."

As the battle progressed, Crimson was now being pushed back by Cinder with her Maiden swords before his body began to glow dark red as he shouted.

"ENOUGH!"

With that, he made a shockwave that blew everyone back with all of them in the floor recovering before Crimson glared at Nico as he walked over to him.

"What have you done? You ruined everything. EVERYTHING!"

Before he could stab Nico with his claw, Qrow impaled him first with his Harbinger before he vanished in a white haze, leaving Qrow bewildered before he looked at Nico.

"You okay, kid?"

"I don't know. What do you think?"

Then, he turned to see Ruby unconscious as Skye spoke to Ozpin and Karse about her.

"Ruby... is she going to be okay?"

"She will be. But we must hurry. This spell would only work if she's unconscious.

"Cinder, place your Grimm arm on her."

"Okay."

As Cinder did just that, Karse spoke to Skye.

"Now, place yours on hers, Skye."

"Got it."

As their hands intertwined, Karse then pointed his staff at them before its eyes glowed red and the group noticed a dark haze coming from Ruby and coming onto Cinder before the haze turned white, thanks to Skye. What's more, Cinder's body began to change with her growing white horns on her head, her yellow amber eyes turning blue, and her back growing sharp spines. When the haze had gone, Ruby's white hair had now turned back to the standard black-red color before she groaned and opened her eyes to see her friends before Skye hugged her.

"Ruby! You're back to normal! Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

As Skye sobbed on her shoulder, Ruby hugged her back.

"Skye? W-What happened?"

Ozpin then explained the situation to Ruby.

"You were corrupted by the Tenebris Comet. It was thanks to Karse's quick-thinking that you're cured of its influence."

Then, Nico remembered a certain someone who's blinded.

"But what happened to Raven?"

As if to answer, Jaune spoke up to them.

"Guys. I managed to heal Raven. But... her eyes..."

Qrow has an idea where he was going before he spoke.

"I can make a guess. Thanks for trying, though, kid."

Just then, Raven walked out of her tent, her face now bearing a slash mark over her eyes and in between them as a white line went through them before Nico spoke.

"Raven. Can you... see?"

"Just barely."

"Listen. I'm... sorry for not telling you the truth. I mean, you were willing to tell me what's really going on, but me? This wouldn't have happened to you if I'd just been honest to you."

"It's okay. You were willing to help my tribe change, even if it was against my orders. The guilt you had to face through all of this is punishment enough."

"I think Yang might have a different take in the matter."

That made his eyes widen in surprise before he realized she was missing.

"Wait. Where's Yang?!"

* * *

At Menagerie, Kali and her guard were under fire from a Grimmite before she got a tray and used it as a shield, noticing the guard's look of confusion.

"You got a better idea?"

Suddenly, Randall appeared in the room with a white flash before he gripped the guardsman with a smirk.

"It's night time."

This made Kali angry as she ran towards him with a tray, much to her guard's behest.

"No, don't!"

As Randall noticed her, he shot his fingernails at her, only for Kali to use the tray as cover before attacking him as he banged it on his head repeatedly. After that, he fell unconscious before Kali looked to her guard before she spoke.

"I really need to consider doing some training."

Inside the hall, Yang spoke to Adam.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to pay you back."

"Well, I wouldn't waste your time."

"I'm serious. Do you have any idea how broken you've made me?! Every time I thought about you at home, I was scared! You made me scared of my own shadow!"

"You should be. I've made powerful friends while you were away. I think you might know one of them."

As if on cue, Crimson arrived between Adam and Illia before Blake and Yang spoke at the same time.

"Crimson. Wait, you know him?"

Crimson then gave out the details of his part of the mission.

"Bad news. Ruby and Nico betrayed me. So did your friend."

Adam growled at this, although he'd known this was gonna happen sometime.

"No matter. At the very least, I'll still lead the Faunus to a better future."

This made Yang concerned about Ruby before she remembered that he said that she betrayed him.

"What did you expect, Crimson? Did you really think she'd ever be in your side?"

Crimson growled at her before he turned to Adam.

"You better take care of this."

As he disappeared in a white haze, Adam jumped to the floor and glared at Yang.

"Don't worry. I will."

Having realized that Illia hadn't spoken in a while, Blake spoke to her.

"Did you come in here to hide?"

"I told you. I didn't want this."

"But you're still here."

"I don't have a choice."

"Of course you do!"

When she said nothing, Blake only sighed before speaking to her.

"Just stay out of my way."

As Blake turned her attention to Crimson, Illia took the opportunity to strike her down, only for her shadow copy to take the hit as it faded away before Blake was shown facing her. As Blake dodged Illia's weapon, she jumped into the air before tossing her rope at Illia's arm before pulling themselves close enough for her to kick Illia down before she clashed her weapon against hers.

"Why do you feel like you have to hurt people to get our way?"

"Because it works!"

"That doesn't make it right."

Then, Illia pushed a button that electrified her weapon before Blake exclaimed as her Gambol Shroud fell to the floor, catching Yang's attention before noticing Adam moving in towards her. As he tried to slice her, Yang ducked the sword before using her Ember Celica to perform an uppercut to send him to the ceiling. Seeing this, Yang used her weapon again to launch herself up to follow him while at the same time, Illia kicked Blake away before she was forced to retreat to underneath the table before Illia spoke.

"Stop lecturing me!"

As Illia turned out the lights, Blake stood in the light where Yang had launched Adam while she held her guard up before she found herself under attack by her weapon before shooting at her. However, Illia retreated to the cover of darkness again before she spoke.

"Why won't you just leave?!"

As Blake activated the sword function of it, she answered her.

"Because I run away too much."

Just as Illia attempted to hurt her again, Blake was ready as she dodged her weapon again before getting out a dust cartridge of fire for her weapon to fire before she spoke to herself.

"Sorry, dad."

With that, she set fire to the garden in the house above, providing necessary lighting to expose Illia before she was forced to attack Blake again. As she did, Illia knocked Blake's weapon away for a moment before she reclaimed it and countered her weapon before being pulled closer in order to slash at her, only for her to dodge it once by herself and the second time via Semblance as her shadow copy faded away. As they engaged in hand-to-hand combat, Blake put her hand down on Illia's, both holding weapons before she aimed to strike her. However, Illia avoided this before slashing at her with her weapon. When Blake dodged it again, she then fired her Gambol Shroud at Illia, who blocked the billets as she shouted to her.

"Quit taking potshots and fight me like you mean it!"

Then, Blake leaped to the upper level before Illia spoke.

"You used to see things the way I did! The way Adam did! If no ones going to do anything to stop the humans that attack us, that attack Skye, then the only choice we have left is to attack back!"

Then, Blake refilled her Gambol Shroud with her ice dust cartridge before shooting at Illia, intending for her to block it. In the process, she froze it as when she tried to attack again, it didn't move: it was stuck. Taking advantage of this, Blake used the rope part of it to pull the weapon away from Illia before leaping onto her and speaking with her.

"You're wrong. There's always another choice. Illia, please. You're a good person, but you're making all the wrong decisions!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Is this really what Skye would've wanted?!"

"I don't know what else to do!"

With that, Illia began to lightly sin before speaking again.

"I don't know what else to do..."

Then, Illia continued her sobbing as Blake felt bad for her.

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

Meanwhile on the roof, Yang noticed a fire coming out from the building before she spoke.

"Great. How are you gonna explain this, Blake?"

As Yang looked for her opponent, she closed her eyes to hear footsteps before she heard them running toward her. In that moment, Yang dodged Adam's blade before she aimed to punch him. Although she managed to get him in the face, Adam used the momentum to perform an aura slash at her as he glowed red. Seeing this, Yang used her Ember Celica to launch herself upward, her robot arm barely grazed by it before she attempted to punch him. However, Adam blocked her robot arm with the blunt end of the sword before knocking her back.

 _ **"** **Swallowed by the darkness**_

 _ **Soon, the moon is bathed in black**_

 _ **The light of hope is taken**_

 _ **And discontent is the contagion"**_

Adam then spoke to Yang with a smirk.

"Tell me, does Blake have all of her classmates fighting for her?"

Yang replied back with a smirk of her own.

"Nah. I'm fighting you for me. As for Blake, she's got better things to do."

As expected, that infuriated Adam as he yelled while charging at her as Yang got herself ready.

 _ **"** **The blinding eyes**_

 _ **That burn a yellow flame**_

 _ **The embers that remain**_

 _ **Will light the fuse of condemnation"**_

Yang began to toy with Adam as she swung repeatedly at her, continuously missing his mark until he thrusted at her. This time, Yang dodged the sword before firing a wind blast from her Ember Celica at his chest, blowing him to the roof on his back before she spoke.

"Maybe a change in weapons was a good idea."

With that, Yang then ran toward him before leaping at him and firing a blast from her Ember Celica at his mask, splintering it as he went through the roof to the ground.

 _ **"** **Kingdoms in tatters**_

 _ **Hung on the brink of a war**_

 _ **The peace will succumb to flames"**_

As Blake noticed Adam falling to the ground, she then turned to see Ghira bursting through the door to see Blake on top of Illia before he spoke.

"Blake!"

Suddenly, Corsac jumped onto him and impalas him with his dagger, earning her concern before Blake called out to him.

"Dad!"

Suddenly, Illia pushed her away to the chair just as Yang got concerned for her as well.

"Blake!"

Then, Adam shouted as he tripped, Yang before reaching for his sword and aiming to stab her before Yang shot at his mask again, forcing it off of him as he exclaimed in pain while losing his sword. As Adam took his breath for a moment, Yang saw that one of his eyes were blue while the other showed that he had a grey pupil with a red iris as a scar that spelled out S.D.C. was burned over his left eye as he spoke to her.

"You'll pay for this!"

Yang only got her fists ready as she spoke.

"The check's in the mail, pal."

Then, Adam shouted as he charged at Yang before clashing his fist against hers repeatedly with no one side gaining an advantage before they engaged to push each other. As this went on, Illia watched as the conflict worsened before she heard Fennec's voice.

"Illia! What are you doing?! Fight!"

Having heard this and seeing Crimson reappear with a smirk, Yang realized this was part of his plan. As she did, Yang shoved Adam away before she tried to reason with him.

 _ **"** **This is not a tragedy it's not an accident**_

 _ **You've placed your faith in fools and now you'll smother in lament**_

 _ **They play the part if allies claiming peace their only goal**_

 _ **But once the fight for power starts, they'll eat each other whole**_

 _ **Their iron gloves point fingers, they'll wage a war of blame**_

 _ **And mankind will wilt in pain"**_

 _ **Break**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

"Listen, Adam! We don't have to fight!"

"I don't see why we shouldn't."

"I thought you wanted to do what's right for the Faunus. But _this_? _This_ is not what's right! Do you even care what happens to them at all?!"

"I'm trying to make humanity pay for what they've done!"

"Then you're no better than Crimson! He doesn't care about anyone by himself. He's just using her name as an excuse for all the lives he's taken. Odds are, he killed the Faunus, the White Fang even, while he was at it. How long do you think it'll be before he goes after you? Maybe he's killing you already."

Adam then took a look at what's happening around him as Corsac and Fennec fought against Ghira as the latter darted toward him with his dagger as he shouted before Ghira grabbed his hand and pointed the dagger at Corsac, sending a blast of fire at him, knocking him out, catching his worry.

"BROTHER!"

At that moment, Adam saw Crimson's smile before he picked up his sword, turned to Yang, and spoke to her.

"After I finish you, he's next."

 _ **Continue**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

Then, Adam lunged at Yang, forcing her to block his sword with her robot arm before she fired an ice blast with her Ember Celica at it, coating his weapon in ice before shoving him away as Ghira noticed Yang in trouble against Adam before he spoke to Sun.

"Go help her friend!"

"You got it."

Before Sun could, however, Yang spoke out to him.

"Don't even try it! Adam is mine!"

 _ **"** **There'll be no rest, there'll be no love**_

 _ **There'll be no hero in the end who'll rise above**_

 _ **And when it ends the good will crawl."**_

As Yang forced Adam into a corner, he got out a gun from his holster before he shot bullets at her. However, Yang was using her aura to protect herself as they seemed to ricochet off of her to the pillars before she shoved Adam to the wall before Illia got her weapon out and wrapped it around Yang before electrocuting her. As this happened, Blake spoke to her with tears in her eyes.

 _ **"** **The shining light will sink in darkness**_

 _ **Victory for hate incarnate**_

 _ **Misery and pain for all"**_

"Stop! Please..."

Illia only looked at her with her head down before she spoke.

"I can't do that, Blake. I have to keep Skye alive."

 _ **"** **When it falls"**_

Hearing her name, Yang opened her red eyes before flinging her to the wall, causing the pillars to collapse underneath her as well as the platform. Seeing this, Yang ran over to her before she pointed her weapon at it and shot at the platform, causing it to explode in black dust.

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "When it Falls"**_

This made Blake concerned greatly for her.

"YANG!"

However, as the dust cleared, Yang is seen shielding Illia with her hand up before she spoke to her.

"Are you okay?"

As Illia looked up at her in gratefulness, she responded softly.

"Y-Yes. Thank you."

Then, Crimson spoke up to her.

"As if that matters anymore. You may have been there to save your friends, but you couldn't save your own mother."

This made Yang worried about what he did to her before she spoke.

"My... my mom? What did you do to her?!"

"Same thing I'm going to do to you, sunny dragon."

As Fennec got up, Yang and Crimson spoke onward.

"So that's it. You took advantage of my wanting to help Blake just so you and the White Fang would get rid of her!"

"The White Fang was nothing more than a means to an end. As are the rest of my recruits. Your mother lost, because unlike her, I couldn't care less about my friends."

This enraged Fennec as he picked up his brother's dagger and worked up the nerve to attack before he ran to him and leaped onto him before stabbing him in the back (literally). Having earned Crimson's painful exclamation, Fennec was then tossed to the round beside Corsac before he glared at them.

"And don't think your Grimmwalker fared any better. She lacked the killer instinct. She couldn't bring herself to fight her friends, even if she wanted to. So, you can imagine how that ended for her."

This made Illia glare at Crimson as he chuckled before speaking again.

"And now, foolish child, you'll suffer their same end!"

Before Crimson could fire his fingernails at Yang, Illia trapped him in her weapon before electrocuting him before pulling him to the ground as she spoke.

"What did you do to Skye? WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"Only what you all did to the humans: I rid the world of her."

As Crimson chuckled, Illia amped up the voltage and electrocuted him, his laughter getting worse before Blake and Yang spoke up to him.

"Illia, stop!"

"If you kill him, you'll never know what happened!"

"Didn't you hear what he said?! Skye's—"

"He's lying to you! I see it all over his face! He's just trying to get in your head, trying to make you lose control!"

As Illia looked at Crimson's maniacal face before looking to Yang, she began to feel something wasn't right before she stopped the voltage before he got confused.

"What? What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to let you use me anymore."

With Illia denying him her hate, Crimson glared as he lunged at her, only to be stopped by Adam as he stabbed through him with his sword, much to his shock.

"Adam...! What are you doing?!"

"What's right for the Faunus."

This made Crimson growl before his eyes glowed red and sent a shockwave as he made an explosion of red light before the others noticed that Crimson had gone. Looking back on what she's done up until this point, Illia broke down in tears as Sienna arrived with Kali, looking at the scene. As she cried, Yang knelt down to her before she spoke.

"It's okay. Skye's okay. I don't doubt that."

Amidst her sobs, Illia tried to ask her as clear as she could.

"And... h-how would you know?"

"I don't know. I just do."

With that, Yang turned to Blake before she smiled at her.

* * *

Later, the population of Menagerie had gathered to where the Kuo Kuana mansion burned as the guards spoke to them.

"Back! Everyone, stay back! We've got people inside doing their best."

Then, a Faunus among the crowd noticed something coming out of the smoke.

"Look!"

With that, Ghira came out with Corsac and Fennec before setting them down to the floor as Adam and Illia walked out themselves before Saber (a captain of the guardsman) spoke to another guard.

"Get in there! Search for any stragglers!"

Then, Saber turned to Ghirlandaio before he spoke with him.

"We came as soon as we got your call."

As the guards set Corsac and Fennec to their knees with Adam and Illia sitting down in the entryway, Saber walked up to them before he spoke.

"Was it worth it?"

Adam spoke honestly to him given Crimson's role in it.

"I used to. Now... I'm having second thoughts."

Then, Yang spoke up behind him.

"Well, that's news to me."

As Adam groaned, Yang spoke again to him.

"What? I'm serious. When it really mattered, you made the right choice. You saved Illia. Maybe, with enough time, maybe you won't be so bad after all."

Blake smiled at Yang before looking back to Illia, who turned her head away in shame before taking a deep breath and walking down the steps, catching Ghira's attention.

"Blake!"

Kali, however, stopped him as she continued walking down before stopping in the middle. With that, she spoke to the crowd.

"Humans didn't do this. _We_ did this. Faunus. We did this to ourselves. We are just as capable of being manipulated into hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So, why are we letting Crimson do it for us?! By doing nothing and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. Even worse, you let him prove a point that taking no sides doesn't help anyone! No matter what side you're on, Crimson will kill you either way! This is the message Crimson Rose will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand that all of you are looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you. I don't know how to make hate go away. I don't! But this kind of violence is _not_ the solution. I understand that to ask you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk... but that's what's at stake! So I'm going. And I'll stand by myself if I have to. I'll stand with you!"

This made Illia speak to her.

"If... if you'll have me."

As Blake turned to her, the crowd asked about her.

"Isn't that the White Fang girl?"

"I thought she hated the Belladonnas."

Then, Adam stood up and spoke next.

"And me too."

This caught everyone by surprise as they recognized him.

"No way. Adam Taurus?"

"He's joining her, too?"

As they tried to walk up, Saver stopped them.

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Let them come."

"Huh? You're just going to forgive them? After everything they did?!"

"I am."

As Saber looked to Yang, she spoke in favor of her.

"What? Don't look at me. I already got even."

With that, Saber then turned to Ghira as he nodded before Saber let them go down to Blake as he spoke with him.

"What does she think she's doing?"

"She's learned a lesson that evaded me until I was much older: that there is strength in forgiveness."

Then, Adam spoke to the people next as Blake nodded to him.

"Faunus of Menagerie! I have made horrible mistakes that disgrace not only the White Fang, but also my race! While I'm in no position to beg for your forgiveness, I ask you to listen to Blake Belladonna. She knows what's best for the Faunus. Her wisdom surpasses any I've ever seen, by far. And her constant strive for peace is what kept her spurring on to confront us each turn. She has done nothing but fight for you the right way! We all need to do the same. So I ask you not to join me, but to join the cause of peace. Any of my brethren who will step up and make things right is welcome."

With that, Mata, a Faunus with horns on his head that Sun spoke to earlier, stepped up.

"I'll go!"

Soon, the whole crowd, even the captured White Fang members joined in as well.

"I'll go, too!"

"I'll stand with you!"

"I'll go!"

"Yeah! Me, too!"

"Let's go!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

With that, Sun and Yang walked down the steps and joined them.

"Looks like we've got work to do."

"Thank you."

Then, Yang turned to Adam before clearing her throat.

"I think you owe me an apology for my arm, don't you think?"

As Adam turned away, he spoke.

"I don't think so."

"What?!"

"You wouldn't have gotten better as you did if I didn't cut it off."

That made Yang give a sarcastic smile to him.

"Oh. Really?"

Then, Sun spoke to the two of them.

"Okay, why don't you two lovebirds get a room?"

"We're not lovebirds."

That made Sun back up as he threw his hands up in surrender before Ghira stepped down and spoke.

"Do you think that's the last we'll see if Crimson?"

Yang face her honest opinion about him.

"I doubt it. The guy clearly wanted humanity dead. I don't think he'll leave us alone anytime soon."

Then, Ghira and Kali spoke of another matter.

"That means we're going to need shields, training, anything we can do to protect as many people as possible."

"We'll need transportation, too."

Then, Yang smiled at them.

"I think I've got a friend who can help with that."

Upon mention of it, Nico, Skye, Lavender, her followers, and Raider came through the portal as he spoke.

"Yang! Where are you?!"

"I'm fine, Nico."

Then, Nico looked to see a bunch of Faunus all lined up before he spoke to her.

"Oh. Looks like you took care of it real quick."

"Yep. What about mom?"

"Well, she was blinded for a minute, but Jaune fixed her up. So..."

Then, Illia noticed Skye as she ran to her.

"Skye!"

Then, Skye noticed her and ran towards her.

"Illia!"

With that, she threw her arms around her long lost friend before she spoke.

"What are you doing here?!"

"I was so worried about you. I thought Crimson killed you."

"I'm okay, Illia. I'm here."

Then, Raider walked down to see Blake with Adam and Yang before she spoke.

"Well, looks like you guys have been busy."

"I could say the same for you."

Then, Kali spoke to Blake.

"Well, I know how we're going to get there. But what about the rest of them?"

Then, Raider got his Armageddon out again as he made another portal adjacent to the first.

"You just leave that to me."


	12. Revenance

**Chapter 11:** "Revenance"

A week later, almost everyone at Menagerie had been transported to the Branwen Tribe's camp. Given that they weren't Huntsmen officially, the Faunus from Menagerie blended in well with the crowd, despite their obvious... differences. When they weren't sending reports to Ghira, they trained with their chieftain as well as Raven and her tribe. As for Atlas, their soldiers were split in half. They were divided between Pro-Huntsman and Anti-Huntsman. Those that chose to fight with the Huntsman stayed with Winter, Penny, and their faction. Those that chose to fight against Huntsmen engaged rebellion against Ironwood and Klein, who had his hands full enough with the riotous angry mob, only to deal with them as well. Abraham and his men were informed of this crisis by Raider, so they engaged in espionage within the forests to report updates to the situation. Amidst the circumstances, Cinder was struggling to get used to her new Grimm upgrade just as Raider came in to check on her.

"You okay?"

"I don't know. I have... mixed feelings about it."

"Yeah. So did I. Well, in my previous situation."

"No. I mean, I'm happy that I saved Ruby, but... did I really have to become... this?"

Raider sighed before he spoke.

"Well, I never asked to be born with that, either. But it happened anyway."

This made Cinder close her Grimm hand before speaking to him.

"Tell me something. This... 'situation' of yours. How did you get used to this?"

"That's the thing. I never did. But I had to deal with what I had."

With that, Raider walked out of the door before Qrow cleared his throat, catching his attention before he spoke to him.

"Let me guess? Another pickup?"

"Yeah. Hopefully the last one."

"That's what you said yesterday. But, if it'll help speed it along..."

As Raider opened another portal and left for Menagerie, Oscar walked over to Qrow before he spoke to him.

"Hey, Qrow? Skye wants to tell us something."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Her story. About everything she's been through."

This made Qrow's eyes widen before he spoke.

"Is that right?"

As Qrow walked over with Oscar, Neo spoke to Vernal with Yang, Nico, Winter, Logan, and Weiss about her role as Winter Maiden. Upon hearing this news, they just couldn't believe it.

"What? You're the Winter Maiden?"

"For real?"

"How did that happen?"

"Aren't Maidens usually good guys?"

"This is just hard for me to believe."

Neo only smirked at them.

"It's true. Vernal, do you mind showing them?"

Vernal looked at her skeptical group before she spoke.

"Well, the idea is to stay hidden, but if you insist..."

With that, Vernal's eyes gave off a blue flame as she held her hands out. With that, the clouds started growing bigger before the wind started blowing toward them. As it felt that they were getting close to being literally blown away, Nico spoke to her.

"Okay, stop! We get it now."

With that, Vernal stopped the winds before Neo spoke.

"See? Told you."

As this happened, Qrow, Karse, and Ozpin/Oscar were around Skye as the first of the three spoke to her.

"So, from what Ruby told us, you had a friend before? Is that safe to say?"

"Yeah. But I never told anyone about him. Not even my parents. They... wouldn't have understood. Mom was the quiet one. I think she was afraid of me. And Dad... I was afraid of him. But it was okay. Because I had my friend waiting for me in the woods. We played together every day after school. I was happy. I thought it would last forever. Nothing lasts forever. The other kids still hated me. But one day... they took it too far. It hurt. It wasn't anything new, though... but it was different this time. This time... I saw red. I didn't even know my friend was nearby. It was like he knew I was angry and came running. I know he only wanted to protect me... but my friend was angry, too. I felt it. He was gonna make sure they never hurt me again. I calmed down. I begged him to stop. We weren't monsters. He listened to me... but it was too late. People knew about me."

Karse can imagine how well it worked out for her.

"And I assume that at some point, news spread all the way to your parents."

"Right. They didn't understand. Just like I thought. They called me a monster, too. I tried to explain that my friend was different. That made Dad mad... really mad... and he... he... I don't know what he did, but the next thing I knew, I saw red again. And my friend was there. Just like before. But this time— this time I wasn't fast enough to stop him... or at least that's what I told myself at the time. But deep down I think I knew. The Grimm has only attacked because I told it to. I didn't want this. Did I? Regardless of whether or not I did, the reality of what I'd done froze me up. And that was the opportunity they needed. Mom screamed for help. And the men with guns came in."

Qrow knew it meant one thing.

"Atlesian soldiers."

"They'd been waiting for a signal. My parents had a trap set for me."

Karse can easily guess what else came next.

"And the soldiers. They tried to take you away?"

"Yeah. My friend didn't like that. He wasn't going to let anyone else hurt me. But there were too many. I told my friend to run. But he wouldn't listen. He wanted to protect me. My best friend..."

As Skye hesitated for a moment, Ozpin spoke softly.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell us everything."

"No... it's fine... they _murdered_ my best friend in front of me. But that wasn't the worst part. We had been linked after all. Ever since that day in the forest. I felt what he felt, and vice versa. And I felt _everything_. Anger, fear, pain, death. I didn't take it well. Do you know what it's like? To be connected to something in a spiritual level? To have it be part of you? And then to have that part ripped out of your own mind?"

Knowing the question was directed at him, Ozpin answered honestly in spite of his reincarnation process.

"No. I don't."

"I didn't think so. I didn't know what I was becoming. I felt something inside myself awaken. Something old. And angry. But... in the end... I guess it didn't matter what I was turning into. Like I said before. I was just a little kid."

Qrow knew what Crimson meant by having shot her in Chrysallium now as he spoke.

"So that's how Chrysallium became a ghost town. Those Atlesian soldiers picked the wrong day to take charge. Crimson was there, too. In fact, he was the one who shot you."

"Yeah. I remember that. That should've been it. My story should've ended then and there. It... would have been for the best... for everyone. But as everything started to fade away... I reached out for help again. And something answered. That thing was sleeping deep down inside me. I don't know why it did what it did. I wasn't exactly in a position to ask, but for some reason, it decided to save me. And I was never able to call upon its power again. I almost would have been thankful... if it hadn't left me right in their hands. I don't remember much after that. But my eyes never forgot what I saw. Now I saw them for what they really were. But my story wasn't over. Like you, they wanted answers. And frankly, so did I. Atlas was where we'd find them."

* * *

Speaking of Atlas, Ironwood and Klein were having difficulty trying to deal with their situation as he spoke to the general.

"I've never seen such an angry mob in all of my life!"

"Barak. His message practically brought us and our kingdom to a crawl. What could possibly be worse?"

As he asked that, a door opened before Klein and Ironwood turned to see Whitley walking toward them with a devilish smile.

"Hello, gentlemen. I believe you have something of mine. And I'd love for you to give it back."

"Oh, yeah? Or else what?"

"Well, I'll just let my friend explain."

With that, a tall Paladin armor coated in black coloring with red eyes on the helmet of it as it spoke.

"Long time no see, Jimmy!"

Ironwood knew who was in that armor.

"Barak."

"For 30 years, I've been holding you up!"

Suddenly, Barak lunged toward them as he thwacked Klein away before gripping the General.

"Nothing is going to stand in my way."

With that, he slammed him to the floor before he pointed his guns at his face.

"Least of all, you."

As Barak held him at gunpoint, Whitley calmly walked over to Klein before he spoke.

"Now. I'd like to have my throne back, if you please."

Klein only retaliated as he spoke.

"Not on your life, boy. Weiss is the true heir. So if you want it, you'll have to contend with her."

"Hmm. Interesting. Perhaps I will."

* * *

At the camp, Skye had told them her experiences at a place in Atlas named 'The Spire' where deadly secrets of Remnant were sent there before she broke out. Ozpin could tell she was working up her last nerve remembering it as he spoke softly to her.

"If... you need to take a moment before contin—"

"I went back, you know."

"Hm?"

"Back home. Heh. It feels strange using a word like that to describe that place. Homes are supposed to be places you feel safe. It was about a year ago, I think. I don't know what I experienced to find there. Closure, maybe? But all I found... was a massacre I'd been six years too late for. I later found out that the entire town had been wiped out by a Grimm horde. One that just happened to show up an hour after I was taken. Doesn't take a genius to guess what brought them there."

Qrow can easily guess whose horde it was.

"Much less who. Crimson. The guy hates humanity as much as he hates Raven. At this point, nothing would surprise me."

"It was called one of the most devastating Grimm attacks in decades. A village that size disappearing overnight was unheard of. He stood mourned my hometown of Chrysallium. It was labeled a disaster. Mortifying. A tragedy. Unjust. Undeserved. And I agree."

As she tensed at this, her eyes glowed red as she spoke.

"Because they'd deserved so much worse."

Karse then spoke to Skye about that topic as he stamped his cane to the floor.

"Don't even dare think it, child! Thoughts like that are what made Crimson the monster he is today. And you know what I said about this before."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Ozpin then got back to the conversation.

"You said six years had passed. Where were you during that time?"

"Heh. I was enjoying the hospitality of the Atlesian Military. You can guess how well that worked out."

Qrow felt it was true.

"Yeah. Like heck. Uh, thank you, Skye. For opening up to us."

"Really? That's it?"

"For now. Oz, Karse, and I are going to talk about this for a while."

Ozpin then spoke to Skye next.

"In the meantime, why don't you gather everyone else to discuss our plans?"

"Okay."

As Skye walked away, Qrow then spoke to him.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"Ever the optimist. While I would not say our current predicament is... ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."

Karse then spoke about the downsides of it.

"In goodness, yes. But, unfortunately, just as resilient in wickedness. This is because they change their path to good or evil. Always constant. But from what we've been told, not even that stalemate can last forever."

"The old guy's got a point, Oz. Pro Huntsmen don't just bite it all at once. It would've made sense after this anti-Huntsman business started, but before? Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day, all the way to Ruby, even. What does that say about humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice, like Crimson. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm. But I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it."

"Yeah? Tell that to Skye. Her life is no happy story."

"And perhaps you should tell that to everyone else here, Qrow. Their stories aren't any happier either."

Just then, they heard Skye coming back with Ruby as the latter cleared her throat.

"Um... excuse me?"

Skye then explained the short number of students as she stepped up.

"Ruby has something to say, Professor. She needed me for support."

"Ah, Miss Rose. Join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps."

"Oh, uh, great."

As she and Skye walked closer, Qrow spoke to them.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?"

"Listen... I'm sorry about everything I did."

Karse then spoke softly to her.

"None of us blame you, Ruby. None of it was you. It was the comet's corrosive and venomous influence. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Okay. And, um, it's... if it's okay to ask."

"Of course."

"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven, the Spring Maiden, and the Winter Maiden, But... what about the Fall Maiden?"

Ozpin knew who she was talking about.

"Cinder. And Pyrrha. Two halves of a single whole."

"Right. Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon relic?"

"Very astute, Miss Rose. I was wondering who would be the first to ask."

"So, does she have it or not?"

"No, Skye. Thankfully, she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus."

"So, what about the Fall Relic?"

"Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools."

This made Ruby and Skye sigh in relief.

"Oh. That's good to hear."

"It is. But let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us."

Ruby and Skye nodded to him before Ozpin spoke again.

"Now, is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question..."

"No, my cane is not a relic."

"I have no more questions."

This made Ruby, Ozpin, and Skye laugh before he spoke again.

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that— precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that bring a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

"Okay."

As Ruby and Skye took off to get them, Qrow turned to Ozpin before he spoke.

"You know going back to Haven will most likely result in a war zone, right?"

"Yes. But there's no other choice to get the Relic of Knowledge."

"Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"I know. I just hope Abraham and his men can find a way around this."

Suddenly, Raider opened a portal to the camp and walked out with Mata, Lavender, and Adam before he noticed the professor looking to him.

"Well, that's just about everyone. I gotta say, it's looking really cramped at the moment."

Then, Karse stood up before he spoke.

"Not everyone. There's one more left."

"Really? Who else could be left?"

* * *

Far away, a blue portal opened in Atlas to reveal Raider and Karse walking out of it before noticing a store labeled "Tukson's Book Store" with the catchphrase "Every new and used book under the sun". Before Raider stated his confusion.

"Wait. I only remember seeing that in Vale. How is it...?"

"All can be explained in due time, my friend."

As Raider and Karse walked in, the owner of said store turned to see Raider and Karse as he spoke to them.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Store. Every new and used book under the..."

Upon seeing Karse, Tucson greeted him with a smile.

"Good to see you again, old timer."

This made Karse chuckle a bit before speaking.

"Oh, you youth and your flattery."

"Wait. How do you know this guy?"

"Tukson and I go as far back as when you were born."

"Okay, but what makes him so special?"

"In light of his difficult past, I gave him a few special gifts."

"And what are they?"

"The first is merely a book: the Third Crusade, authored by myself. A detailed history of the first Grimmites that contained valuable key information that mustn't fall into the wrong hands. As for the second? Well, let's just say this cat has more than nine lives."

As Tukson laughed at this, Raider widened his eyes.

"You just had to rope that one up, didn't you?"

"Wait. Are you saying he's... immortal?"

"By technicality, it is known as Revenance. It allows him to recover from any otherwise fatal injuries. But it varies depending on the extent of them."

* * *

 _As Karse explained, a flashback showed him first walking to Vale before seeing Mercury and Emerald walking out of his bookstore. Upon seeing this, Karse had an uneasy feeling before looking in to see Tukson lying on the ground to his horror as he ran over to him._

" _As I said, we went way back. I was planning to bestow my second gift to him_ _when I had noticed that something disastrous was afoot. Once I looked in his shop, I found him... slain. I could not let my dear friend leave this world with his duty unfinished."_

 _Then, Karse put his cane over his fresh corpse before incanting a prayer over him._

" _O Great Spirit from the heavens, I beseech you to renew this man's life with everlasting vigor!"_

 _Suddenly, a yellow light came over him before his broken flesh instantly regenerated and he gave a sudden gasp of air before he painted heavily to see Karse above him._

" _K-Karse?"_

" _Long time, no see, my friend."_

* * *

"In short, he will be a valuable asset to our cause, assuming, he's willing to make the choice."

"What does that mean?"

"When we first met, he'd just strayed from the White Fang's path. He'd been used to kill for many years. He wanted out of that life. So, when I renewed him with Revenance, I still offered him a choice. Either to fight for a just cause or to retreat to Atlas and be a man of peace."

"And let me guess: he chose option number two? Can't say I blame you, Tukson. I wondered what that would've been like, too."

Then, Tukson spoke about their presence.

"Forgive me for asking, but why are you here?"

"We're here, because this time, we _need_ your help. If Haven Academy falls, things will only be worse for you _and_ your kind. Whether you like it or not."

Tukson hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"I appreciate that you want my help, but... I can't. I left that life for a reason."

"I don't doubt that. But now, every Faunus in Menagerie is willing to fight for it."

Raider then spoke up about them.

"And believe me, he does mean _every_ Faunus."

Hearing this, Tukson widened his eyes before Karse spoke.

"This is a time of such a dire crisis that not even the pacifists can ignore. We _need_ your help."

Tukson looked at the two of them before he spoke.

"Alright. Maybe I will help. But let's get one thing straight: I'm not a killer. Not anymore."

Karse smiled at him proudly as he gazed upon the tall Puma Faunus.

"That's what we're counting on."

* * *

Meanwhile, Oscar decided to train himself as he thrusted his staff and swung it as if it were a sword before panting in exhaustion as Ruby spoke to him.

"You're really getting better, huh?"

When Oscar looked behind him, he noticed Ruby and Skye before the latter spoke.

"Everyone's gathered at the campfire. They're waiting for Oz."

Oscar then explained the reason for the stall.

"Well, Ozpin is waiting for Raider and Karse to come back. It'll be a while. So..."

"Oh. I see."

Ruby then complemented on Oscar's training as she giggled.

"Wow. You look like a natural."

"It's strange. I have only had this cane for a few weeks, but... I felt like I've had it for a lifetime. Longer, even."

This made Oscar paused as he realized the words coming out of his mouth.

"I sound like a crazy person."

Ruby felt otherwise.

"I mean, uh, yeah just a little. But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time!"

Hearing this, Ruby covered her mouth before giggling.

"Oops. Looks like Pyrrha's got me saying it now."

As she giggled to herself, Skye felt confused.

"You know, I really thought I had a handle on your personality."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, after everything that's happened... how are you handling all of this?"

Oscar then spoke up next.

"Yeah. I could ask you the same. I'm... scared. I've more scared than I've ever been in my life, than I ever thought was possible. I always knew I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? Who would ask for _this_?"

Seeing where he was coming from, Ruby walked over and spoke to him.

"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people. But, you're right. None of us asked for this either."

Skye then spoke to Ruby again.

"Then how are you handling this? It's just... people have tried to kill you or make you like them. Literally, the whole world is going to go to war all over again. At least from what I heard. How can you be okay with any of this?"

Ruby then held her head down before she answered.

"When Beacon fell, I lost my best friend. It would've been two if it wasn't for Raider. Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. I didn't know them for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met. Though, I can't say that's what saved them. Pyrrha thought if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she could've died in a battle she knew she couldn't win. The only reason Raider saved her was because he felt Pyrrha was the better Fall Maiden. And Penny... was killed... just to make a statement."

This confused Skye before she asked her.

"Then, how is she...?"

"Raider convinced her father to fix her up. Sorry. I thought I mentioned that. But, even that's not the worst of it. I... I never got to know my mom. She was killed in battle against Raven, trying to get the Spring Maiden back. And it didn't stop there. Salem had me convinced that _she_ was the Spring Maiden. I got so angry at her for that that I tried to hurt Raven the way I was hurt: by taking away the person she loved most: Yang. I was... cruel. Heartless."

As Ruby remembered what she did, she began to shed tears.

"Once I killed Yang... I enjoyed it. And I hated it. I hated what I was becoming. And I took it all out on Raven just to get even. If it wasn't for Jaune and Raider... I wouldn't be seeing her again."

Then, Oscar spoke to her, feeling bad about what she went through.

"I'm... sorry."

"I _am_ scared. But not just for me. What happened at Beacon, what happened at Kuroyuri, they show that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She doesn't even care about her own people! She'll kill and/or corrupt anybody, and that scares me most of all. Pyrrha... Penny... my mom... I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt to think about what could've happened, that I didn't think about them every day since we split up, that I didn't wish I'd spent more time with them. If it had been me that was killed, and if no one had been there to save me, I know they would have kept fighting, too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do — to keep moving forward."

As Oscar nodded to her, Ruby nodded to him back as she wiped her tears before she put her hand on Oscar's shoulder and spoke.

"C'mon. Everyone's waiting for us."

As she walked over to the fire, Ruby stopped before she turned to Oscar.

"Hey, Oscar? The fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."

Just then, a portal opens to show Raider, Tukson, and Karse as the Elder spoke.

"What she speaks is the truth, lad. You've done remarkably well in spite of our current circumstance. If that isn't the mark of the champion, I don't know what is."

Then, as Ruby nodded to them, she, Raider, Tukson, Karse, and Skye walked back over to the fire before Oscar walked with them as he heard his voice.

" _She really is remarkable, isn't she?"_

"Yeah. She must've been one of the best Huntresses at Beacon, huh?"

" _In some ways, yes. But in many others... no. She has her quirks, her faults, just like everyone else. But she also possesses something unquantifiable. A spark that can inspire others even in the darkest of times. One that Salem tried to snuff out in hopes that their spirits would be broken."_

"This must be really hard for her."

" _It most assuredly is._ _But she understands her role and the responsibility that comes with it. And if I were a betting man, I'd wager she's not done yet."_

With everyone present at the camp, Raider spoke out to the outstanding number of allies in the campsite.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Raider Serose. In the past week, following a string of events on both sides, I've never been so surprised by the number of people that chose to stand with us against Barak. Yet, at the same time, I'm disheartened by the number of people that chose Barak over us. I'm just as torn about it as all of you must be. But we mustn't forget that they have their agency. As do all of you. That's why before we press on to Haven Academy, you need to know why it's worth fighting for. No doubt all of you know about the Fall of Beacon, whatever opinion you have about it. But what you don't know is who caused it. And her name... is Salem. My father, Solomon Serose, worked with her for a time until she met my mother Cynthia. When I was born, Salem and her forces saw me not only as a threat, but an asset. They turned to Team STRQ for help to hide me from her. But it didn't work out. When I was 15, they were killed by the White Fang. For a decade, I had the amount of hatred toward them. Not towards the Faunus, or any of their men, but to their leader: Caleb Taurus. He was the extremist responsible for the dust mine cave in at Atlas that cost the life of a human trying to snuff out that hate, a man who gave his life to save them. And I know... because I was there. After that, one day, I fought him and before he fell, I demanded to know who he worked for. That answer was the same person trying to destroy Haven: Salem. The dust mine incident, the Fall of Beacon, and now this whole civil war. They're all being orchestrated by her for one reason only: to divide humanity. Faunus, Humans, Grimmites, all of us. And I can assure you all that Salem is very real. But for all of her attempts to divide us, we've never been more connected. As victims of hate and spite, as brothers-in-arms, as Remnants! Salem tried to divide us because she knew that together, we would be her greatest fear! And while I'm not sure if we'll win this war, we'll send a message that they will never forget! That this is our land! Our kingdoms! Our families! Our people! We belong to no one but ourselves! So I give you one last choice. There's no right or wrong when lives are at stake. So I acknowledge that not everyone has the desire to fight. If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But know that as Blake said before, if you do nothing, others will act in your place. And remember that your homes are at stake everywhere. Whatever you choose, though, we will all stand with you."

As the crowd was silent for a moment, Oscar then raised his hand as he spoke.

"I'll fight. While I can't say I'm not scared... I'm more scared of what'll happen if we don't."

Then, everyone else raised their hands one by one before Raider spoke.

"Is this everyone's final decision?"

Everyone either nodded their heads or replied with a strong and resounding "yes" before he spoke.

"Then everyone knows what they have to do. Everyone in Remnant will remember this, however it ends. This is our stand."


	13. War Zone

**Chapter 12:** "War Zone"

After the meeting at the fireplace, Abraham sent Raider and the resistance intel on Barak's plans. They found out that he had overtaken Haven Academy with the lack of Huntsmen present and is using it as his headquarters for the time being. On top of that, no one seemed to be guarding it. Raider saw this as not only an opportunity to use the element of surprise to catch Barak unawares and recover the Relic of Knowledge, but also a potential trap. With that, the Grimmites, the White Fang, the Branwen Tribe, and the Faunus hid in the forest while the Huntsmen, comprised of Ruby, Team JNPR, Skye, Oscar, Weiss, Lionheart, Yang, Qrow, and Raider, go to Haven Academy to confront their opposition. Cinder and her faction were placed with Atlas to link the CCT tower at Haven to reveal the events that are to take place in the meantime. As they walked across the vacant campus, Ruby turned to Oscar, who had a look of fierce determination before she looked up to the night sky and walked onward. As they entered the main halls, Barak and Watts could see them walking in as the former smirked.

"Had a feeling you'd be here. So... this is your resistance? I gotta say, I am a bit disappointed. Especially with the company you keep."

Lionheart glared at him before he spoke.

"Do you have any idea how strained you've made this Academy because of your 'great speech?' After what you've done, we didn't exactly have volunteers."

"What I did was fix a problem in my world. Most seem to appreciate my gift. Why not you?"

"Because, like it or not, this _isn't_ your world."

As they spoke, Weiss looked to the upper levels and noticed a face she never hoped to see again.

"Whitley?!"

As they turned to see him, Whitley walked down the steps as he spoke.

"Hello, dear sister. I heard you were branded a criminal. Such a shame, yet it makes complete sense. Huntsmen are barbaric, after all."

Weiss only glared at him before she spoke.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Well, I could ask you the same thing. Then again, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Huntsmen usually go to their previous academies. Besides, with the stunt you and your boyfriend pulled, I thought it was obvious. I've come to challenge you to reclaim my throne."

Weiss turned to Barak before speaking.

"You... what have you done?!"

"I simply woke up Remnant to what I see in you Huntsmen. Unrefined, impulsive, murderous. Shall I go on?"

As Skye glared at him, Barak spoke onwards.

"But, you know, I couldn't have done it without some friends of mine."

At the mention of this, a razor sharp talon shot at Ruby far away, knocking her away before Yang ran over to her.

"Ruby!"

As Yang tended to her, Crimson fell from the ceiling before he spoke.

"Hello, little children."

Up next came Rex, Axe, and Venunem as the latter snickered dangerously before Ruby looked up to see them.

"Crimson. And the Black Dagger."

They weren't the only ones as a tall figure opened the door, before they all turned to see none other than Hazel as Oscar grew fearful.

"Oh, no..."

As Hazel closed the doors, he spoke to the group.

"The Black Dagger is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

* * *

Outside, Cinder and her group watched in the cover of the bushes as Randall spoke to his legion that set up dark purple dust crystals on the CCT tower and other buildings.

"Once the crystals are set, move back to perimeter watch. Tonight, Haven falls."

Cinder then looked to her Grimm arm before clenching it and speaking to herself.

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

* * *

Inside, Weiss turned to Whitley.

"This was all just a trap?"

"Now you've figured it out. Of course, once I reclaim my throne, the rest of you will join her demise shortly."

Then, Qrow turned to Barak before he spoke.

"Barak. Tell me... how long have you been working with them?"

"For as long as your Grimm Huntsman has been alive. I was supposedly her trump card in case a certain someone of ours was to go rogue."

Ruby had an idea about who he was talking to.

"You mean Cinder?"

"No. Though I gotta say I'm surprised. I was actually talking about... a certain professor of yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Your good friend, Lionheart, was with us the whole time you knew him. He gave Cinder and her team a free pass to the Vytal Festival, but he was the man who gave them all the information they could ever want. Even to Crimson."

At that moment, Qrow felt betrayed as he spoke out to him.

"What? Leo..."

Lionheart turned to Qrow and then Barak before he spoke.

"That's actually where you're wrong. I was never on your side to begin with. Raider only talked me into this because we both lost everyone precious to your master. And we're not going to stand for it any longer."

"So... you sold out your own team just to gain our trust? That's a bold move, Leo."

"Not entirely. I still couldn't part with my students. Raider made sure they were all evacuated before Crimson ever arrived."

As Watts widened his eyes, he spoke his surprise.

"Well... it seems you are great at improvisational skills after all."

Batak only scoffed at his words.

"Like that even matters anymore. You're all still criminals. It didn't a change a thing. It's only a matter of time before they all come for you. Everyone out there still thinks you're the villains. And everyone from Atlas to Vacuo will call me the hero who ended their tyranny, once and for all."

Crimson then spoke up to them with a sneer.

"And in the end, we all get to see you burned by the people you swore to protect. Ironic, isn't it?"

Ruby then spoke angrily to Crimson.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"How can someone be so broken inside? To kill so many innocent people like you did... and act like it's some great achievement... and to use my mom's name as an excuse?!"

Skye saw her anger and sadness being released as Ruby's tears fell before she tried to comfort her.

"Ruby..."

Then, Ruby glared at Crimson before shouting.

"And all with that STUPID smile on your face!"

As Ruby pointed her Crescent Rose at Crimson, everyone got their weapons ready before Raider spoke to everyone.

"No. Not yet. Stay calm."

That task was becoming difficult for Ruby as she dwelt on Crimson's displays of acrimony before she shouted at him again.

"I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY GOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"Ruby!"

"WELL?! SAY SOMETHING!"

Crimson then spoke as if he could care less to her.

"Why would you listen to me now?"

This made Ruby's eyes widen before glowing silver as she turned her scythe white before charging at him. Crimson, however, was prepared for that as he got out a purple dust crystal before crushing it and taking its properties into his arm before Ruby swung at him. However, as Crimson's upgrades arm hit her scythe, it stabbed his hand partially as he winced before smirking, much to her shock as Crimson spoke.

"Don't think I forgot about your silver eyes. Now, _nothing_ can stand in my way."

With that, he flung Ruby to the ceiling before slamming her to the ground as he summoned a dark purple scimitar from the crystal before preparing to stab her. However, before he could, Crimson was knocked away to the wall before noticing a white Beowulf beside Skye who spoke to her.

"You're not going to touch her."

Axe had a different take on the topic as he jumped in front of her, Jaune, and Pyrrha.

"Hello, lovebirds! I can't wait to pummel you to the ground!"

Pyrrha and Jaune got out their swords and shields beside Skye and her Beowulf as he spoke.

"I'm afraid you'll be very disappointed."

While the duo fought the kicker, Whitley spoke to Venunem.

"Take out the heiress. And don't bother holding back."

"Very well, then."

As Venunem slinkered to her, Qrow took the opportunity to attack Crimson as Ruby recovered.

"Blaming Raven and her tribe was one thing, but this... you've crossed the line."

"You and your sister crossed it first the moment you set foot at Beacon!"

"At least we never caused mass genocide!"

"Who's to say you didn't?! Your family set my hatred ablaze! So the next time you even think about blaming me, remember they're all dead because of _you_!"

As Qrow shoved Crimson back and fought him, Weiss darted toward Barak before Venunem kicked her away and unsheathed his lancer stingers with a deadly laugh.

"So... let's see if your family name really means anything."

"I'm more than a name."

"Then prove it, Ice Queen!"

As Weiss set up a Glyph on the floor and darted to him, Oscar turned to Ruby and ran over to her.

"Ruby! Are you okay?"

"Ugh... yeah. What kinda dust crystal was that?"

As Oscar tended to Ruby, Hazel walked over to Nora, Raider, and Ren before speaking to them.

"I don't wish to fight either of you."

Nora and Ren replied back as Raider got his Armageddon ready.

"Nor I you."

"But we will if you're with Crimson."

"Funny. You remind me of someone. Talk about a hypocrite."

Hazel then cracked his knuckles before walking to them briskly.

"Very well, then."

As the confrontation began, Yang turned to Rex before he spoke condescendingly.

"So... you're Raven's kid?"

"Yeah? What's it to you?"

This made him smirk before he spoke.

"Interesting... if I take you out and bring you to Crimson... I could... no, the Black Dagger could be free of him! We could finally be free!"

As Rex stood in place, Yang frowned before she spoke.

"Do you honestly believe that?"

"It's worth a shot."

Meanwhile, Weiss leaped from Glyph to Glyph as she dodged Venunem's lancer stingers before she ended up hitting the pillar on her back. She looked up just in time to see Venunem lunging at her with a roar before she used a Glyph to block it and move swiftly away. Following this, she made an ice barricade before summoning a giant knight. However, it was in vain as Venunem scaled the mountain of ice and slashed at it, making it vanish before he kicked Weiss away and smirked.

"You wouldn't want it to be easy, now would you?"

As Ruby was helped up by Oscar, Crimson had knocked Qrow away before he spoke.

"How pathetic. You don't know when you're out of your league."

As Qrow continued, Skye, Pyrrha, and Jaune had difficulty against the swift Axe and his claws while Skye spoke to him.

"Why are you doing this?! Crimson—"

"Will kill us if we don't agree with his plan! We don't have a choice!"

"I don't believe that!"

Then, as Skye's Beowulf forced him back, Axe used the momentum to run on the wall before leaping back at it with his feet. All the while, Weiss was having difficulty blocking his stingers as they cane at her rapidly before using her black Glyph to block Venunem and chuck him away before attempting to summon her knight, only for Venunem to hit her with his talon, and earning her brief exclamation of pain before she leaped away and blocked more of his stingers. When she tried one more time, Venunem placed his stingers in front of her before he smirked. Just as he let them loose, however, Weiss only jumped above him before shoving him away with her black Glyph before engaging a technique used against Roman Torchwick before: her Time Dilation. And just in time as Venunem leaped to the pillar and then towards Weiss before she swiftly dodged his stinger, surprising him.

"What? How did you dodge that?!"

As an answer, Weiss only sliced her Myrtenaster through him back and forth, using her Glyph as stepping stones in swift motion before slamming him to the pillar, catching Rex's worry and halting his battle.

"No!"

As Yang smirked, she spoke of his brother.

"Looks like you don't know what you're dealing with."

"Why you...!"

As Rex tried to sock her in the face, Yang only punched him in the face with her Ember Celica and knocked him to the floor as it showed Crimson gaining an upper hand on Qrow with a smirk as he laid on the floor. With that, he raised his sword, ready to stab him.

"This time, you're staying down."

Ruby, having recovered from the effects of the purple dust crystal, darted at him with her Semblance before flinging him away from Qrow with her scythe as he then used his sword to stop his tumble before she helped him up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, kiddo."

Then, Crimson growled before speaking.

"You're absolutely begging for a death wish, aren't you?"

Ruby glared at him before she spoke.

"Maybe I am. But if I die buying them time, then it's worth it. They're the ones who matter. Not that you'd care."

As Crimson looked at the scene around him, he saw Pyrrha, Skye, and Jaune holding off against Axe while Raider, Nora, and Ren fought Hazel before it showed Yang fighting Rex with an advantage over him before noticing Pyrrha's aura was rapidly draining itself before Crimson smirked.

"In that case..."

With that, Crimson summoned a dark purple coating of dust around his claw before pointing it at Skye.

"I'll just have to kill you all."

"NO!"

Before Ruby could stop him, even with her Semblance, he fired his talons at Skye with Pyrrha taking notice before shoving her out of the way. However, in doing so, his talon pierced through her heart, much to the horror of the Huntsmen in the academy before Pyrrha made a series of hiccuping gasps struggling for breath as her veins glowed purple before his talon turned to dust and Pyrrha began to fall to the floor before her arm, along with half of her body, turned black while exposing her skeletal structure of arm and ribcage while growing sharp claws and her spine protruded from her back along with her spikes as her emerald eyes turned red before growing sharp teeth and a long tail with horns on her head as she snarled before roaring to the sky.


	14. Cold Embrace

**Chapter 13:** "Cold Embrace"

As Pyrrha roared at the sky, Jaune called out to her.

"Pyrrha!"

All the while, even Crimson stood surprised as he spoke.

"Hmm. Isn't that something?"

Ruby angrily turned to Crimson before she spoke.

"What did you do to her?!"

"I'm as surprised as you are. I planned to kill your friends, but now... I'm beginning to have other plans."

Then, Oscar got out his cane before running toward Crimson with a shout and smacking him across the face with it in vain before he spoke.

"Was that your best shot?"

Oscar only smiled back at him before he spoke.

"No."

Then, Crimson looked up to see Ruby's scythe swung at him before it cut his cheek as he wiped it whilst growling and summoned his scimitar again. As this happened, the mutated Pyrrha began growling at them before Skye tried to reason with her.

"Pyrrha, it's okay. Calm down."

Pyrrha was unable to listen to her pleas as she saw red and lunged at Skye before Raider knocked her to the floor and unconscious. Stunned as he was by her transformation, Raider turned to Skye.

"Skye, can you help Pyrrha?"

"I'll try, but I don't think my power can..."

"Just try!"

Then, Raider resumed his battle with Nora and Ren against Hazel before Jaune joined her.

"Jaune?"

Jaune looked to her determinedly as he placed her hands over Pyrrha's now misshapen chest and Skye's hands resting upon it.

"You just focus on trying to connect with her. I'll do the rest."

"Okay."

As this happened, Venunem was laughing maniacally as he lunged at Weiss only to be blown away by her black Glyph toward Hazel who then noticed Crimson being knocked back by Oscar while Ruby pressed on the assault before he picked the bandit up by the neck.

"Your 'partner's' letting those children make a fool of him."

Venunem only snickered before he spoke.

"You really don't know, do you, pacifist? Crimson is murder incarnate. He can kill _anyone_ , especially the young professor."

"What?"

"Word on the street is, he's been reincarnated in that little boy. But don't worry. He'll take good care of him just like he did your sister."

Then, having realized he'd said too much, Venunem covered his mouth before he ended up choked by Hazel before he spoke to the bandit.

"What did you say?"

As his life was in mortal danger, he began to regret spilling the beans. Although... it also presented another opportunity to be free of him.

"Your sister, Gretchen Rainart, it is Gretchen, right? What happened to her was no accident. Crimson did it to get back at Ozpin for what happened to his sister... by taking away the smaller soul..."

Then, Hazel glared at Crimson before dropping Venunem and snarling as Ruby and Oscar were panting their breaths.

"Crimson..."

As the two recovered from his assault, Crimson snarled before speaking to them.

"You two mosquitoes... are the most annoying pain in the—"

"CRIMSON!"

The three of them then looked to see Hazel staring daggers at Crimson before he spoke.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?!"

Crimson only stared at him confusedly, having personally no clue what he's talking about, not whom he was before he spoke.

"Who are you again?"

Hazel only tore his sleeves off before getting out two yellow dust crystals from his pockets before he spoke.

"If you can't remember what you've done to me, I'll make sure you'll never forget who will end you!"

Then, Hazel implanted the two dust crystals on his arms, one for each, before his eyes glowed yellow while roaring in a distorted voice. As this happened, Crimson's memory got jolted (no pun intended) of the time when he'd seen Hazel scream in misery before he smirked and spoke.

"Now I remember..."

As Hazel walked forward, Oscar spoke to Ozpin.

"Do-do we fight?"

" _No. Just stay out of his way."_

Raider and Qrow then noticed Hazel walking towards Crimson in surprise.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I have no clue, kid."

As Hazel walked toward Crimson, the latter mocked him.

"Go ahead! Torture me! Kill me! But I wouldn't waste your time! I am more powerful than any dust crystal can make—"

Suddenly, an energy bolt hit Crimson in the face with the fist before he ended up tumbling back to the ground before Hazel turned to Oscar and Ruby.

"Don't think this is over. After he's gone... the professor and I have unfinished business."

Having heard this, Barak tensed his hand.

"Ozpin is here?"

Whitley then spoke to him in concern.

"Is that a problem?"

"Not yet. But we better not take any chances."

Then, Whitley turned to Venunem before he spoke.

"Venunem, forget the heiress for now. Take out the boy with Miss Rose. Any way you want."

This made Venunem chuckle darkly before he spoke.

"Then our team has nothing to worry about. I'll kill him. Kill him dead!"

"Good. And while you do that... Rex! Tear that statue apart!"

This made Rex confused.

"Huh? But why?"

"Because I have a feeling it's not just for show."

Then, Rex jumped to the statue and broke it into pieces with his fist, unveiling a blue hole that traveled downward before he spoke to Whitley.

"There's something down here!"

"I knew it. Go down there and get that Relic of Knowledge. Spring Maiden or not, we will bring it to Salem."

* * *

As Rex walked to the lift that leads to the vault, Yang looked to Ruby, Raider, and Oscar just watching as Hazel fought Crimson before noticing Venunem snarling as he darted to them.

"Look out!"

Fortunately, Ruby and Oscar moved away just in time before Venunem's stinger pierced the ground. When Venunem landed, he giggled maliciously as Ruby and Oscar prepared themselves just before Yang turned to see Weiss, Nora, and Ren tending to Pyrrha with Jaune and Skye before the Grimmwalker spoke to her.

"Stop him! We got this covered!"

However, before Yang could go, she was suddenly ambushed by Axe with his swift feet before he laughed devilishly and spoke.

"You want to stop him? You'll have to take a rain check."

As Yang found herself at Axe's mercy, Jaune looked to Skye.

"Talk to me."

"I don't know. It looks bad. She's... I-I can't even say it."

Jaune began to fear the worst as he shouted to her.

"No, no, no, no, no! Not again! C'mon, Pyrrha, please!"

* * *

"This won't take long."

With a huff, Rex stepped into the vault before Lionheart took notice and got out his shield before firing a dust cartridge of wind, blowing him off of it before he spoke to Raider.

"Raider! Get to the vault! The Spring Maiden needs you! I'll take care of Barak."

"Got it!"

Then, Raider opened a blue portal with his Armageddon before he and Qrow entered it and it faded. As this happened, Hazel slammed the ground with his fist before Crimson moved in to decapitate him, only for Hazel to catch his scimitar and chuck him to the wall. All the while, Ruby was beginning to have her aura weakened as Venunem continuously attacked her to get Oscar's attention. However, that worked too well as Oscar moved in to punch him before sending him back with his cane. However, Ozpin was becoming too concerned about it.

" _Oscar."_

"No!"

Then, Venunem used his stingers to lunge at Oscar before being stopped by Ruby, who used her semblance to stop him before chucking him to the ground as her aura grew weaker in the process. Seeing this, Ozpin spoke to him again.

" _Oscar!"_

"I told you, no!"

At that moment, Venunem leaped to Oscar before kicking him to a pillar before Ruby called out to him.

"Oscar!"

Then, Venunem chuckled before roaring to leap at Ruby, who engaged battle with the bandit as Ozpin spoke to Oscar again.

" _Please, let me take over! I can handle him!"_

As Oscar watched Ruby fight, he spoke to Ozpin defiantly.

"You told me I needed to fight for myself. So I will"

" _This is not your fight."_

"What does that mean?"

Then, Venunem, having overheard this, tripped Ruby before lunging at Oscar, pinning him to the ground with his arms as he spoke.

"Oh! So, Oz never told you, did he? So sad..."

Suddenly, Hazel noticed Venunem on top of the boy before Hazel sucker punched his foe and tossed Crimson to the wall before he shot a bolt of lightning at Venunem, knocking him farther away, as well as electrocuting him as he fell unconscious to the ground.

"He never told you my tale, did he, boy? I thought you looked familiar. To think that _he_ was inside you when our paths first crossed. Tell him, Ozpin. Tell him how you killed her."

"Her?"

Ozpin seemed to comply as he spoke.

" _Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel... holds me responsible. He's wounded in a way that can't be healed. Just like Crimson."_

Then, Hazel spoke to him.

"Now you know. When this is over, you can forgive me for what I'll do to you."

Then, Hazel noticed Crimson getting up from the crater as he snarled with his red eyes flaring at him.

"I told you. I'm more powerful than any dust crystal can make you. Too bad your sister learned the hard way."

Then, Hazel snarled before he shouted.

"CRIMSOOOOOOON!"

* * *

Far away, Skye continued to reach out to her.

"Come on, Pyrrha. Come back to us. For Jaune."

When she earned no response, Pyrrha's body began to glow with a red aura covering her human body before Jaune noticed as well.

"I-Is it working?"

"I think so. But it's going to take even longer to heal. Her aura can't recover her Grimm side. But that doesn't mean it can't help her."

With that, Skye closed her eyes for a moment before the black part of her body turned white. Suddenly, when her face turned white as well, Pyrrha gave a small gasp for air.

* * *

At the vault, Raider and Qrow looked out to see a bunch of Huntsmen within it as they spoke.

"Whoa! I thought he said he had a few."

"Looks like he's been holding out on us. Must've sent a message to the ones you 'evacuated.'"

"We'll talk about this later."

Then, Raider noticed Raven in the crowd before they went over to her.

"Raven. Did you get the Relic?"

"Not yet. I just got here. On top of that, I wasn't exactly expecting guests."

The trio then turned to see the door before Raider spoke.

"Looks like we came here just in time."

* * *

Witt that, the group walked to the door with a battalion of Huntsmen watching them.

Up top, Hazel slammed the ground with lightning before Crimson retaliated with his scimitar, slicing his hair off as he barely dodged it. As Hazel and Crimson began locking fists, Oscar got to Ruby before he spoke to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. What's going on with you and him?"

"Ozpin told me that Hazel holds him responsible for his sister's death."

"What?"

"I know. He's hurt in a way that can't be healed. Just like..."

"Crimson."

This confused Oscar before she explained.

"Crimson blamed Raven for my mom's death for years. That's why he's this way. But then... why is he attacking someone on his side?"

They heard Venunem's chuckle for an answer.

"You'll never know. Because now is when I KILL YOU!"

As Venunem lunged at Ruby, Oscar got in the way only to be stabbed in the side by Venunem's stingers and chucked away to the wall, causing Ruby to grow worried as she called out to him.

"Oscar!"

* * *

Upon noticing this, Barak held out his pistol with a smirk, only to be stopped by Lionheart's arrow before he spoke.

"You will not rob Remnant of any more students!"

"Is that another word for assassin?"

* * *

As Barak and Lionheart's bout continued, Ruby ran over to Oscar as she tended to him.

"Oscar. Please be okay..."

Then, Venunem began laughing as he spoke.

"How does that poison taste, boy? You know if you take in too much of it, your body will start to rot now!"

This made Ruby glare at him before he spoke onward.

"Now as my poison slowly works it's way inside of you, it will start breaking down your body until it's nothing but dust."

As he laughed, Ruby's eyes began to glow silver as tears shed from her eyes.

"How dare you... First you come after me... then you come after my friends... WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE US ALONE?!"

With a furious dash, Ruby began mercilessly attacking Venunem in a white streak of light as she cut his body multiple times before the venom from his own stingers seeped into him, causing him to panic before Ruby stopped her assault and glared at him as she responded in an echo.

"You're the one that deserves to rot."

Then, as the poison began assaulting Venunem, he began to scream as he knelt to the floor in vain as his skin began fading away into dust, leaving nothing but his skeleton. Then, Ruby went over to Oscar and picked him up, cradling him as she feared the worst.

"Oscar..."

As she shed tears for him, they landed on his face before the wound that pierced him miraculously healed to her surprise before Ruby blinked her eyes and spoke.

"Oscar?"

With that, Oscar groaned before he looked to her.

"What happened?"

"Oscar!"

With that, Ruby hugged him as she spoke.

"I thought you were a goner!"

Suddenly, Ruby remembered who else was in that position as she gasped.

"Wait. Pyrrha!"

As Ruby took off, Oscar followed her and they noticed Pyrrha giving a series of hiccuping gasps before she began to breathe normally when they arrived.

"What happened?! What's going on?!"

Then, Skye gave her the good news.

"I think she's going to be okay. She's stabilizing, but with half of her aura reserves gone, it'll take longer to heal her."

Far away, Ruby noticed Yang fighting Axe with little to no success before she tried to punch him, only for the bandit to fade away before kicking the blonde from behind with a shouting laugh.

"Raven chose this hot head as her daughter? Embarrassing! She's an absolute joke!"

Then, she turned to see Crimson having equal footing with Hazel as he slashed at him with his hands and missed while Crimson slashed at him with his scimitar, having the same luck he did. Suddenly, Rex gripped Hazel from behind, having grown in some size and strength before Crimson Aimee to stab him, only for Hazel to chuck Rex to away and dodge his sword before Ruby began looking to Pyrrha and speaking to Skye and Jaune.

"Whatever you're doing, don't stop."

"Don't worry, Ruby."

"We won't."

"Good. Hazel needs help."

Oscar then spoke to her.

"We'll help him. Me _and_ Oz."

"Right. Ren, Nora, Skye, Jaune, and Pyrrha still need cover!"

With that, Nora and Ren got their weapons out before she spoke.

"No one's gonna touch 'em."

"Okay. Make it happen, JNPR! The world can't fix itself!"

With that, Ruby began glowing silver eyes, catching her and the others before surprise as Oscar spoke.

"Ruby. Your eyes..."

Then, she remembered what Salem told her about her mother.

"I get it. I unlocked their power just like my mom did. By accepting the world for what it is. And doing everything to make it better."

Then, Ruby swiftly used her semblance in a streak of white light as she yelled before kicking Axe away, earning his growl before giving a shocked gasp as she held her glowing scythe behind her with her eyes glowing brightly as Yang looked at her in astonishment.

"Ruby? You, okay?"

Ruby responded back as her eyes glared at Axe.

"No. I'm angry."

* * *

In the vault, Raven placed her hand on the vault, allowing it to open the doors to reveal a desert with a blue lamp in the center before Qrow spoke to her.

"So. This is it."

"Yes. It is."

After a long silence, Raven spoke to him.

"I haven't forgotten, you know. About what you would do to me when we're done."

Qrow then remembered what he said to her before he spoke.

"Yeah. But... you did turn out better since then."

As Raven held her head down, Raider placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Raven. You're done running, aren't you?"

Raven then took a deep breath before she answered.

"Yes."

With that, she walked forward to the Relic before clutching onto it. As she did, she remembered the trouble she's gone through to become one in the first place and the grief that resulted. As she knelt down and shed tears, Raven had one thought on her mind.

" _I want you to be here, Summer. More than anything... How can I make that happen?"_

As if listening to her thoughts, the lamp sent out blue mists around her before Raven has ceased her tears and wiped them from her face and widened her eyes as she heard whispers before Qrow spoke.

"You okay?"

Then, Raven picked up the relic before turning to him and answering him with a hopeful smile.

"Just fine."


	15. Nightfall

**A/N: Hello. I am so pumped up for Volume 6 to arrive! In celebration of this, I will finish this story and start up a new one based on Volume 6 by the time it starts. Please note that my next story will take a lot longer to finish as Volume 6 is most recent, so please be patient. Other than that, enjoy. :)**

 **Chapter 14:** "Nightfall"

Within the academy, Whitley promptly noticed Venunem's skeleton before he sighed and walked down the stairs only for Weiss to stop him as she pointed her Myrtenaster at him.

"You're not going anywhere, _brother_."

Then, Whitley smirked as he got out a purple dust crystal from his pocket before speaking.

"Let's agree to disagree, _sister_."

Suddenly, he crushed it before blowing it all over Weiss, forcing her to cover her eyes before lifting them to see that the background had changed to that of the outside of Evernight Castle with Grimm emerging from the pools before she heard a dark voice.

" _Weiss..."_

When she turned around, she saw Nigreos' red eyes as he spoke.

" _Fear me... fear me..."_

This made Weiss back away in panic before she fell to the floor with a yelp. Fortunately, Qrow came to the rescue as he grabbed her before speaking to her.

"You alright, kid?"

When Weiss snapped out of it, she saw Qrow standing over her before she spoke.

"I don't know. What was that?"

"Don't know. But whatever it was, I'm guessing it's bad."

Then, he and Weiss noticed Ruby and Yang fighting Axe with difficulty as they launched themselves toward him. As they did, Ruby slashed at him. However, that also left Ruby open for Axe to kick her Crescent Rose to the ground. Fortunately, Ruby saw this and slashed his feet off, earning his pained yell before Ruby knocked him away with the blunt end of her light-coated scythe. As this happened, Nora turned to Jaune and Skye.

"You guys doing okay?"

Jaune was the first to reply before Skye spoke next.

"I-I think so. She's coming to."

"You'd think with half of her aura gone, it would go faster."

Then, Skye noticed the aura on Pyrrha spreading to the Grimm side by surprise.

"Wait. What's happening?"

Jaune was surprised by this as well.

"The aura... it's spreading to her other half... but how?"

Then, as it settled on her, the answer was clear. It began changing her Grimm side to normal as Jaune figured out what the purpose of his semblance was.

"I get it. Our aura heals our bodies. It feels... it feels more like I'm using my aura to amplify hers."

Skye looked up to him in concern.

"Aren't you worried you might run out?"

"Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it. I still believe her."

Then, as the Grimm side began fading away into where the injury was made, Pyrrha began opening her eyes before she spoke.

"J-Jaune..."

As Nora smiled at this, she then turned to see Ren fighting Rex as he shot at the bandit. However, it was to no avail as he only grew larger before gripping him and chucking him to the ground before planting his foot on him, applying the pressure to make him yell in pain, much to Nora's worry.

"Ren!"

Jaune saw this too and spoke to her.

"Go! I've got her!"

As Nora nodded to him and ran over to him, Pyrrha spoke to them.

"What's happening?"

Skye proceeded to explain as they did their work.

"You took a heavy hit and you became half Grimm for a moment. You're being... cured."

"You need to stay with us while the others fight."

Pyrrha smiled at this before speaking.

"Well... I'd prefer it, actually."

Jaune smiled back at her as he got close to her.

"It's good to have you back, Pyrrha."

With that, Nora used her hammer to slam Rex away to the wall, causing him to grow big in the crater and get stuck before she turned to Ren and lifted him up.

"Are you okay?"

"I am now."

As for Hazel, he shot bolts of lightning at Crimson, knocking him to the ground before he spoke.

"Using your sister as an excuse for death?! A monster like you must be stopped!"

"Look who's talking."

Then, Oscar charged in to help Hazel as he leaped at Crimson and struck him rapidly with his cane before Crimson took it away and used it to toss Oscar to the floor next.

" _Ozpin_ is your real enemy! _He_ is the reason we've lost everyone we loved!"

Just then, Nora yelled as she leaped at him to strike her hammer at him. However, Crimson only gripped it before tossing her to the ground. Then, he he gripped her head with his claw and began crushing it, causing a dark mist to swarm her body whilst earning her scream before Crimson called out Oscar.

"Their deaths are on your head!"

Then, Hazel gripped him by the head, electrocuting him and Nora in the process. However, instead of being in pain, Nora only got a power boost before she punched Crimson in the face and knocked him to the floor before picking up her hammer.

"What was that?"

"Crimson's crystals. They're giving him dark abilities that can corrupt at his touch. That's how he mutated Pyrrha."

Nora then glared at Crimson as he summoned a scimitar and ran toward her.

"I don't need to touch him. I just need him to GO DOWN!"

With that, Nora shouted as she swung her hammer at him, knocking him out of the academy before Randell noticed and spoke to him.

"What's going on over there?"

"Nothing of consequence."

Inside, Pyrrha got completely healed before Jaune spoke to her.

"You okay?"

"Actually... I'm better. Thank you."

Then, Ruby looked outside to see Crimson before she went over to him and shouted to him.

"Crimson!"

Her uncle then turned to see her nephew with glowing silver eyes before she spoke to him.

"Let it go. I know it's not easy, trust me. It wasn't easy for me, either. I let it go, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven her."

"Why do you insist on saving that piece of scum?!"

"I'm trying to save you! To help you escape from this!"

"You think I want to escape from this? There is no escape from this..."

"You're wrong. We've done things that most people would call impossible. And o know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone. We had people to teach us, people to help us. We had each other."

"So what? I didn't get this far with anyone's help. I am better, stronger alone."

"That's not true. Because you decided to go it alone, you lost your way. I know what that's like. But what happened to Mom wasn't chance. It was because she decided to act. Her, Raven, and Spring."

"Then why was it me who was the only one who _lost_ everything?"

"It wasn't. I lost three things that day. My mom, her team... and my uncle."

"Salem chose _me_!"

"Because you were the best of us! The only reason she chose you was for the same reason she chose me. To prove that even someone as good as us could fall."

Crimson looked at himself before he spoke solemnly.

"And she was right."

"Maybe she was. But that doesn't mean she's not wrong, either. The best part about falling... is that we can get back up and try again. Work with us. I can't guarantee that you'll be free immediately, but at least I know you'll have a better chance if we try together. Please..."

Crimson only scoffed at her offer.

"It's bad enough that you look like her... the last thing I need is for you to _talk_ like her!"

As Crimson began to point his clawed hand at her, Blake called him out.

"Crimson!"

Crimson looked up to the source of the voice to see Blake on top of a structure of the Academy before he spoke.

"You?"

Ruby saw her too and smiled.

"Blake."

"Stand down!"

The Black Dagger then prepared to fire at her only for Randell to stop them.

"Hold your fire!"

Crimson then chuckled before he spoke.

"To think that you've been a thorn in my side at my Menagerie escapade, only to admit defeat in the end."

"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop this now, and we can end this peacefully."

"It's not about what's right. It's about what's FAIR! Humanity has made too many mistakes! Like it or not, it's going to die! And you can't stop it."

"No, I can't. Not by myself."

Then, Sun's voice spoke to him.

"That's why she didn't come alone."

With that, Sun, Adam, Lavender, and Ilia came from one end of the field with the Faunus and White Fang while Karse, Sienna, Tukson, and Ghira arrived as Crimson spoke.

"What is this?!"

Ghira spoke to him for an answer.

"Your worst enemies banded together."

Then, the bushes rustled in front of him to reveal the Huntsmen, Huntresses, Grimmites, and bandits led by Logan, Mount, Ellie, Vernal, and Abraham before Qrow, Raven, and Raider arrived last boa blue portal as he glared at Blake with a smirk.

"So, these are my worst enemies? What's next?"

As an answer, helicopters shone their lights on the academy as Haven police and Winter's squad swarmed in from the air with Kali beside Winter as she spoke.

"Crimson Rose. This is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully."

With that, Blake landed to the ground as he shouted to her.

"Is that the best you've got?! All you've done is put them all in one place!"

"It's over, Crimson."

"You're right about that. For all of you."

Crimson then got out a device to trigger the explosives as the Black Dagger grew fearful.

"Hey, wait!"

When he pushed it, however, they didn't work. As he tried repeatedly, Randell spoke to him.

"What are you trying to do, get us all killed?!"

"I'm making a necessary sacrifice. And it should've worked..."

Blake then explained the reason.

"About that, we sent someone over to confirm your explosives. And once we did, they disarmed them."

With that, Cinder and her team descended to the ground with the crystals before smashing them as Neo used her umbrella to land beside Tukson and her team as she smiled at him. With that, Crimson glared at his niece before Ruby spoke to him as she walked up.

"You said all we've done is put ourselves all in one place. That's one way to look at it, uncle. But what I see is everyone united to defend each other and lift each others' burdens. Huntsmen, Huntresses, Bandits, Grimmites, Faunus, we're all one and the same. We have the same problems. We can both think and feel. We can act for ourselves. That's what humanity is capable of."

Crimson only glared at her as he got out a black crystal with red electricity within it.

"Humanity... is worthless."

 _ **Play Pieces of Eden Music: "Satan's Arrival"**_

Then, he crushed it to dust before breathing it in, earning her gasp of shock before he spoke onwards.

"Humanity is the epitome of despair! Injustice! Murder! Evil! To accept that is to forgive your enemies! I WILL NEVER ACCEPT IT! NEVER!"

Suddenly, a dark mist began bursting from him in a mighty gust as a large shadow emerged from above him and took the shape of a giant eel with two arms bearing claws on its side before its mask formed to show its dark red eyes before its fangs revealed themselves from its mouth as it roared at the surrounding victims who gazed at it in horror.

Within the academy, Team JNPR, Weiss, Yang, Oscar, Lionheart, Hazel, Rex, Axe, Whitley, Barak, and Skye looking at the outside before the Grimmwalker spoke.

"I... I know this one. I summoned it before..."

Then, Barak chuckled before speaking to Lionheart.

"Looks like you got on his bad side, Huntsmen. Not an enviable place to be."

With that, Yang took off toward Ruby as Whitley spoke to Rex.

"Well?! Stop her!"

Rex then removed himself from his crater before he darted to her and gripped her arm, only for Yang's eyes to flare red before she turned around and punched him in the face, knocking him out. Then, she took off toward Ruby as did all of the other Huntsmen before Lionheart glared at him.

"I'm staying here. _You're_ my business."

"Very brave of you, Leo. To think you were such a hypocrite a long time ago."

Then, Whitley stepped upward to fight Lionheart with Barak as he smirked.

Outside, the Grimm beast roared at the crowd as Winter spoke.

"Shoot it down, but don't fire on anyone else!"

With that, the Atlesian soldiers fired at the dragon, only to enrage it before it darted toward them and are through half of it as Winter and Kali went to the half that remained unaffected. In the process, though, it began to fail to work as it began to fall as Blake called out to her.

"Mom!"

Just then, Winter grabbed her and summoned a black Glyph before she and Kali leaped out of the helicopter. As they rolled onto the floor, they looked up to see a helicopter suddenly ambushed by a lion Grimm with a stinger and wings before more of them appeared. As they watched in horror, one of the Lion Grimm began charging toward Logan and Ellie before it was sliced by Qrow as he spoke to them.

"Well, are you gonna help or not?"

With that, Logan and Ellie nodded to him before Logan got out a spear while Ellie got out her rifle and pointed it at the Grimm in the air while the dragon scratched the ground with his claws as it roared. As they seemed to go for her, Ruby moved away using her semblance before landing by the entrance as Weiss, Yang, and the others joined her before her sister spoke.

"You alright, sis?"

"Barely. Crimson's turned into a monster."

Skye knew she wasn't quite correct.

"No. He's inside the monster."

"What? How do you know?"

"I summoned one just like it at Chrysallium. If we don't take them out, the Grimm will destroy everything and everyone here."

Then, Ruby got out her scythe and encased it in silver light before she spoke.

"We won let it happen. Yang, go help Blake with the Black Dagger. Weiss, go help your sister and Logan."

"But what about you, Rubes?"

"I've got a monster to take out."

 _ **End Pieces of Eden Music: "Satan's Arrival"**_

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Red Like Roses Part I"**_

As Ruby darted toward Crimson, the dragon saw her and gripped her with its claw before she shouted to her friends.

"JNPR, a little help!"

With that, Ren got out his weapons before shooting at Crimson within the dragon. As he did, the dragon shrieked before it let go of Ruby, who then used her scythe to stab its skin and slide down on it before jumping away from it and landing on the ground before switching her scythe to a rifle mode, shooting white bullets at the dragon.

" _ **Red like roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest"**_

Far away, Winter and Kali were holding their own against a newly discovered swarm of Beowulfs the best they could only to find themselves overwhelmed before a giant white statue wiped them away and shielded Winter and Kali in the process before they looked to see Weiss smiling at her.

"At least I'll be there to save _you_ , Winter."

Winter smiled at her before she nodded.

" _ **White is cold and always yearning burdened by a royal test"**_

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang were holding back the Grimmites and Randell with Adam and Sun as she used the rope from her Gambol Shroud to trip them as Yang used her Ember Celica to knock them back with the wind dust cartridge as Sun knocked them away with his staff before Adam saw a Beowulf behind Yang before he shouted to her.

"Duck!"

Then, Adam used his semblance to slash at the Beowulf, disintegrating it into Black dust before Yang looked to him.

"Thanks."

" _ **Black the beast descends from shadows**_

 _ **Yellow beauty burns... gold"**_

As the dust retreated, it went into the dragon before the white wounds on it disappeared and the red eyes glowed darker as it snarled, catching Ruby's worry.

"Did it just heal?! Come on!"

Then, Skye walked up to him.

"It's the Grimm essence. He's taking it all into himself for power."

Then, Ruby, knowing of what she can do, spoke to her.

"But what if you did that?"

"What?"

"What if your Grimm were the ones that get killed? Would you be able to take in their essence?"

"I guess. But I don't know if I could handle it."

"It's hard losing someone you care about. I know. But if we're going to stop him, we have to do this. I wish I could say there's another way out of it, but there isn't."

Then, Skye places her hands on Ruby's shoulder before she spoke.

"Okay. If you say it's the only way... I trust you."

"Thanks."

Then, the dragon roared before it proceeded to slash at them, only for Raven to use her scabbard to boost herself toward them and got them out of range before she spoke to them.

"Next time, move."

Then, Raven noticed Qrow in a bit of trouble before she joined him as Skye noticed her markings glowing before she turned to see a Beowulf walking toward them before she walked toward it. While she did, she spoke to it.

"I know you're hurting. But it's okay... I'm here."

The Beowulf then leaned its head to her before she touched it and changed its colors to blue and white before she spoke to it.

"Do whatever you have to to help them."

With that, the Beowulf ran toward the Grimm cornering Logan, Ellie, and Mount before it caught up and got in between them. As it did, the Beowulf ended up torn apart, causing a pain to occur in Skye's heart as she fell to the floor, much to Ruby's worry before she spoke.

"Are you okay?"

With that, the dust from the white Beowulf retreated to Skye before she felt herself recovering before she summoned a bow and arrow.

"I've felt worse."

Then, she pointed one arrow at a group of Beowulfs near where her last Grimm dissipated and released it before firing two more into the air and shooting one more at the Manticore Grimm before it got impaled. Suddenly, the arrows generated a blue radius of light, turning the Grimm that was anywhere near them blue and white before they ceased the bloodbath and looked toward Crimson before Skye spoke to them.

"Do whatever you have to do to keep the people safe and stop Crimson!"

With that, the newly turned Grimm began assaulting the dragon as the Lancers launched their stingers at it, piercing through the skin of the dragon before they pulled him to the ground and held it there as the Beowulfs ran to it and began to bite into it, earning a pained screech as the Manticores began stinging it. Suddenly, the dragon grew more furious as it broke free from the trap and swiped the Beowulfs and Manticores away, turning them into white dust before Skye felt the pain and began holding her head as she tried to ride it out. As the dust went to her she recovered before her eyes glowed blue while she shouted, summoning a white gust of air from her as the same dragon with the opposite colors rose from her as Skye and her dragon glared at Crimson and his beast, who spoke for him.

"This... ends... now."

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "Red Like Roses Part I"**_


	16. Haven's Fate

**A/n: Hello. This is my last entry of this story thus far. And I promise you this, the ending will make you at least think about shedding tears. I certainly did while writing this. And I've found just the song to help with that. You've been warned. I hope you all have a great day. :)**

 **Epilogue:** "Haven's Fate"

At Patch, Taiyang was watching the news about an attack on Haven as the announcer spoke.

"For reasons beyond comprehension, a CCT Tower in Mistral is streaming an all-out war between seemingly every aspect of humanity taking place within the walls of Haven Academy. Not long after the beginning of the anti-Huntsman regime promoted by Councilman Barak, a resistance has mounted in full force, and despite the increasing number of their opposition, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine who is right and who is wrong. The only other thing we cannot be certain of is who will be left after today."

As the camera showed Yang and Blake fighting with Adam and Sun by their side, Zwei noticed them and barked desperately for her as it whimpered once it showed the black dragon on camera as Taiyang spoke.

"Come on, Yang. You can do this."

Then, it showed Raven fighting alongside Qrow before he widened his eyes.

"Raven?"

* * *

At Mistral, Logan's mother is watching as it also showed him and Ellie watching the Grimm change colors before going after the black dragon while the announcer spoke onward.

"And in a surprising turn of events, even the Grimm are turning on each other as they fight amongst themselves rather than their intended victims, again proving that we have not learned everything about the beasts."

"My children...?"

* * *

Then, in Atlas, Ilia's parents noticed her standing by her people with Sienna and Lavender as they widened their eyes in disbelief before the mother spoke.

"Our little rainbow..."

"She'll make it dear. We can count on that."

"While we cannot determine the outcome, I can guarantee this much: this will be a day bigger than even the Fall of Beacon can compare to."

* * *

As the Grimm dragons of polar opposites fought with each other, Ilia, Sienna, and Lavender along with a battalion of Faunus from Menagerie blocked a wave of Grimmites from reaching Crimson before Randell attempted to do away with them via talon before Ilia blocked it with her static whip and leaped onto him, pushing his arm behind him as a Faunus spoke to her.

"Thank you."

Ilia nodded to the Faunus with gratefulness as she restrained Randell.

Far away, Ruby, Team JNPR, Raider, Yang, and Weiss tried to help Skye against Crimson as they shot at him, only for the dragon to thwack them away before turning its attention back to Skye as it gripped her own dragon and lifted her into the air within the clouds as lightning struck, showing the silhouettes of the beasts fighting as Pyrrha spoke to Ren and Nora.

"You guys alright?"

"Surviving..."

"I don't know how that thing is still flying. He recovers faster than I've ever seen!"

As Qrow and Raven knock back the Grimm, they look up to see silhouettes of the dragons fighting via lightning strikes before he spoke.

"He's sheer willpower."

"Skye just needs to get him to his limit."

"Does he even have any?"

Suddenly, Skye's dragon dragged Crimson's to the ground before pulling up while going through the Grimm that are attacking the people, turning them white and blue in the process. Then, when Skye pushed the black dragon to the ground, the converted Grimm dog piled on it, only for it to slash at them, converting their essence into her. With that, Skye slammed the dragon farther to the ground before flying upward with him and using her tail to slam Crimson to the ground hard. The resulting shockwave, blew gusts of air in all directions before Hazel then turned his attention to Oscar before he snarled and walked over to him. Ruby noticed this and got in the way as she spoke to him.

"Hazel! Why are you doing this?!"

"Crimson may have slaughtered her, but Ozpin is just as guilty for putting her in that position! He has to pay!"

Ruby then heard Oscar speak to her.

"Ruby, don't do this! You can't!"

Sending his worry, Ruby spoke to him as she looked at Oscar.

"It's okay. We can relate."

Then, Ruby turned back to Hazel before speaking to him.

"Did she know? Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?"

"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!"

"When you think about it, no one is. None of us were ready when Beacon fell. Yang wasn't ready when her mom abandoned us. Blake wasn't ready when her best friend lost her arm. Weiss wasn't ready when she had to go back. And I... I wasn't ready when I lost my mom. I was so young... but that didn't change the fact that she made a choice! To put others before herself! We all did! And so do I."

"Then you've chosen death!"

Hearing this, Ruby held her head down before she smiled sadly and shed a tear.

"Maybe. But at least this way... I'll see my mom again..."

Oscar was beginning to fear the worst.

"Ruby... you can't..."

"If you want to avenge your sister, then don't stop with me. Keep avenging all the way to Salem!"

Then, Hazel began roaring in fury as he raised his fist to strike her before Raven noticed and stopped him as she used her scabbard for speed before knocking him back with her sword. When Hazel looked at her, he saw Raven's eyes flaring red as she spoke.

"You will not touch Summer's daughter!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang saw Weiss in trouble as she, Kali, and Winter were having difficulty recharging their aura as a manticore crept up to them before beginning to pounce before seeing Ruby, Raven, and Oscar at Hazel's mercy. Blake then turned to Yang.

"Go help Ruby! I'll help Weiss!"

"Right!"

With that, the two of them took off in different directions. Before the manticore could pounce on them, Blake jumped to it and shot it in the back, disintegrating it before she landed near them and turned to Weiss.

"Are you hurt?"

"N-No. I just thought you were more of the quiet one."

Then, Blake noticed Raven fighting Hazel while seeing Ruby, Yang, and Oscar witnessing the fight before she spoke.

"Not today. Come on."

With that, Blake took off toward them with Weiss, Kali, and Winter following her. As they ran, Raven blocked his bolts of lightning with her sword before using the ice to freeze his hands, infuriating Hazel as it only insulated the lightning before Weiss, Blake, Kali, and Winter got to them.

"You okay, Ruby?"

"I... I don't know."

Then, Weiss spoke to her.

"Alright. W-What's the plan, Ruby?"

Then, Ruby turned to see Lionheart fighting Barak and Whitley by himself as Barak shot his pistol at him, weakening his aura before Whitley got out a dust gun and prepared to pull the trigger before Ruby turned her Crescent Rose into a rifle and used it to target the pistol before firing, knocking the gun away from Whitley before he turned to see Ruby smirking at him to which he glared before Weiss got the idea.

"Okay."

Then, she used a summoning spell to summon a Lancer before it darted toward Whitley and Barak as it then shot a barrage of stingers at the two of them. For Whitley's case, he was trapped by it while Barak got his aura weakened by contact before he snarled and shot it down before Lionheart used a wind spell to blow him off of the platform and onto the ground floor before he turned to Ruby and Weiss and nodded to them. Then, they heard Hazel's roar as they turned to see he'd broken free of the ice cuffs before Ruby spoke to Raven.

"We can take it from here, Raven!"

Raven nodded in understanding before she spoke to her team.

"'Checkmate'!"

With that, they darted toward Hazel with their weapons ready.

* * *

In the sky, the black dragon used its claws to slash the white dragon's arms, freeing it before Crimson spoke to Skye.

"Ozpin _must_ be punished for supporting humanity. Their cancer has infected Remnant for too long."

"Humanity deserves _true_ justice. They won't see it unless you stop this _now_!"

"I'll stop when Humanity is dead and you're ERASED!"

Then, the black dragon breathed red fire on the white dragon before it used its tail to block the heat before using it to repel it, only to notice that Crimson had gone.

"Ozpin's crimes will be on YOUR head!"

"This isn't you."

"This is exactly who I am!"

Then, the dragon burst from a cloud behind her to attack her before Skye noticed just in time to lean right and then sink the white dragon's teeth into the black dragon before spinning him around and throwing him away to the air before recovering and stopped himself before Crimson glared at Skye, who spoke out to him.

"Stop this, Crimson! You can walk away from this and be with Ruby!"

"No. Humanity must SUFFER!"

Then, he breathed fire on Skye before she did the same, but with blue fire, engaging in a stalemate before she reached out to him while she spoke within the dragon.

"I know you can beat the Grimm, Crimson!"

Then, black mist went up inside Crimson as he spoke.

"Beat the Grimm? I AM the Grimm!"

Then, he breathed a stronger fire as Skye's fire got pushed back. As she struggled, she looked down to see white mists that lingered from Crimson's last provoked attack making its way to her before she felt a stronger surge before she pushed her breath of fire towards Crimson, who was taken aback by surprise as her blue flames consumed the black dragon before it then got inflamed skin and collapsed to the floor with a thud in the process. Once it did, the whiplash from the impact, blew the Grimm and the people of Remnant away as the latter group braced it and looked to see the aftermath. With that, the black dragon faded into a large black mist, leaving Crimson to lie on the ground before the white dragon descended and faded away inside Skye before she walked toward him. When she got to him, she knelt down to him and held her hand to his face. Then, to her surprise, she noticed it had no effect on him as his Grimm side still remained pitch black. As she got up on her feet, she felt sorry for him.

"I'm sorry."

Then, she turned around to see Ruby and her team engaged against Hazel with no luck against him before Skye went over to them with her looking at her markings to see them glowing before she turned to see more Grimm behind her as she went toward them.

While they fought, Raven used her sword to slash at him whilst blocking his blows with it. As she did this, Yang moved in to use her Ember Celica to knock him to the ground with a fire blast. Then, Weiss's Lancer impaled him before launching him up into the air and bashing him down to the ground before Hazel only got up infuriated. Then, he looked in surprise to see a horde of converted Grimm with Skye at the helm before she shouted to them.

"Charge!"

With that, the Grimm charged toward Hazel as they roared.

* * *

Inside, Arthur was entering Lionheart's office as he began sifting through the drawers for something before he noticed Salem's drone approaching him.

"And where might you be going?"

"Looking for Plan B at the moment."

"Watts, do you have something you wish to tell me?"

"Bad news, I'm afraid. Everyone, Huntsmen, Huntresses, Faunus, Bandits, even the Grimmites, are all against us. Not to mention that Miss Rose has mastered the Silver Eyes. And we apparently got a mole in our side. Lionheart was using us this whole time. And he's not the only one. Cinder is with them. And to top it off... the White Fang and the Black Dagger's attacks are stopped. Worse yet... they know who you are."

This angered Salem as the drone gripped his neck.

"Is that true?"

Then, he heard a familiar voice speaking to her.

"You bet it is."

The drone then used its arms to impale the source, only for him to grip them and cut them loose with his Armageddon before pulling on the disarmed attachments and dragging the crystal ball to him before he gripped it with his hand.

"Consider this a warning, Salem. You may have had your way at Beacon, but we will never let you win again."

Then, he shattered the drone's crystal ball, releasing black dust and dropping it to the floor, leaving Salem flustered in anger before she spoke.

"Well-played, Raider."

* * *

Outside, Hazel decimated the Grimm before Skye created a sword and clashed it against Hazel and managed to pierce it through his chest, earning his pained shout before twisting the sword, weakening the aura before kicking him away. As Hazel laid on the floor, Ruby turned to see Crimson groggily lifting himself from the ground before she spoke to him

"That's enough! Just give up."

Crimson only tensed his hand upon noticing that every able-bodied warrior stood against him before he spoke.

"Never..."

Then, he slammed his fist to the ground with a purple dust crystal, summoning Black mists before they swirled up to the sky and formed a shape of a tall, pale figure with dark red eyes, metallic silver hair, and sharp claws before he spoke.

" _The shadow has arrived..."_

Then, the figure moved in toward the group before he went through them, leaving them to look at the scene in front of them as Crimson had vanished before Blake spoke.

"Wha— What was that?"

Karse then spoke to her.

"That was an illusion, and an accurate one at that. That was Nigreos. Salem's Father."

With that, Blake held her head down in exhaustion before she noticed her parents, Ilia, Sun, and Adam headed toward her before she hugged her parents and Kali and Ghira gave the news.

"The police rounded up the remaining Black Dagger members. They will explain everything to the people about what happened. Haven is safe."

"Unfortunately, it appears that Crimson escaped."

Ilia saw the bright side of it.

"It's okay. He was the only one to escape tonight. Those in the White Fang and Black Dagger that followed him? Won't support a madman who wants to destroy everyone. He won't have their help after this. He'll have no one at all. But the White Fang will be united under a different cause."

Then, Sienna spoke up as she joined them.

"And it's been a long time coming. We've been fighting amongst ourselves for too long. We need a new brotherhood. A new family for Faunus truly working towards a better world. And they'll need a new leader."

Then, Ghira nodded to her, getting the gist of her suggestions as Sun and Adam noticed the Huntsmen before they gave Blake a push toward them and he spoke to them.

"If it helps, I'll stand with you, Blake."

Blake smiled at her converted friend as she spoke.

"Thanks, Adam."

As they walked toward them, Yang turned to her mother.

"What happened? When you got the relic?"

"I... I wished Summer would be here with us. It... it told me how to make it happen."

This made Yang's eyes widen before she smiled.

"Ruby would be very happy to hear that."

"Hear what?"

Then, the two of them turned to see Ruby walking toward them before Raven spoke.

"Ruby... I know I can't take back what I've done to you. But it doesn't change the fact that I regret what I did. From here on out, if there's anything I can do for you, I'll do it."

Ruby grew doubtful as she frowned and spoke.

"Can you bring my mom back?"

Raven smiled at her as she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Funny you should mention that. The relic told me how."

This made Ruby's eyes widen as she began sprouting tears and knew what she meant. This made her hug Raven tight as she sobbed on her.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Raven then hugged her tightly before she shed tears of her own and spoke.

"You're welcome."

Then, Blake walked up to her team with Ruby, Raven, Yang, and Weiss looking at her.

"So Blake, I never got to ask you in the forest, but... what're you doing here?"

"I... I was gonna ask you guys the same thing."

"That's... a lonnnng story."

"Well... I'm not going anywhere."

"That's all that matters, that we're all here together. Right?"

 _ **Play**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "All that Matters"**_

Blake looked at Yang in shame before the latter only smiled at her back.

"Yeah."

This made Blake look at her in surprise before smiling at them as Weiss offered her hand and Blake rushed to them in a group hug. As they hugged each other, Yang looked toward Adam before he spoke.

"I'm good. I haven't exactly earned it."

Then, Yang smirked as she ran toward him and grabbed his arm

"Come on."

"Hey!"

Then, they all hugged Adam at the center, earning his groan of embarrassment before Team JNPR looked at each other and smiled as Logan called out to her.

"Weiss!"

Weiss then looked to see them for a moment before she ran to them.

"Logan!"

As they hugged, Logan twirled her around for a bit.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. And you?"

"Well... you know me."

This made Weiss giggle before she and Logan looked at each other passionately before Nora spoke up.

"Okay, get a room, lovebirds."

This made Logan and Weiss blush at this comment before they laughed nervously.

Then, Qrow, Raven, and Ruby turned to the exhausted Oscar before he spoke to him.

"I don't know how, but we did it Oz. You okay?"

Oscar responded back tiredly.

"I'm alright."

Ruby found that doubtful.

"You sure?"

"He's resting. Too much energy fighting."

Raven then showed her concern as she knelt down to him.

"Easy. Don't strain yourself."

"No! He had... a message... we must... get the lamp to... Atlas."

" _ **Never thought that you would stay forever, never asked you to commit your life**_

 _ **But I can tell you in my heart, I never thought you'd up and leave me**_

 _ **Without a trace to lead me**_

 _ **And now you're standing here with that look in your eyes**_

 _ **The look that makes me hope I'll just believe your lies"**_

Then, Oscar fell to the floor before Ruby got him with her arms as she spoke.

"Oscar!"

Raven put her hand on Ruby's shoulder before she spoke.

"He'll be okay. He just needs rest while we're gone."

Then, Qrow spoke to them.

"Gone? Going where?"

Ruby then spoke up to him with a hopeful smile.

"Well... we know how to bring Mom back."

This made Qrow widen his eyes in surprise before he turned to Raven who nodded before she spoke.

"We're getting the team back together. You can come too, if you want."

Qrow then sighed before he answered.

"I'm coming with you, alright. Just to be sure it's not too good to be true."

"Fair enough."

Then, Raven opened a portal with her sword before Ruby turned to her team.

"It won't be long, guys. We'll be back."

Yang then walked up to her and hugged her.

"Just don't take too long, okay?"

Ruby nodded to her before she looked at her team and smiled solemnly as she put her hood on and walked into the portal with Raven and Qrow before it dissipated.

" _ **You're lost, you're found, you're hard to pin down.**_

 _ **I'll never know if you'll come through.**_

 _ **Then you appear, together we're here.**_

 _ **And that's all that matters somehow."**_

* * *

At Patch, Taiyang waited outside at the morning before seeing a portal open up in front of him seeing Raven, Ruby, and Qrow. Initially, he asked about her daughter out of concern.

"Where's Yang?"

Ruby then spoke to her in a soft voice.

"She's alright, Dad. Or should I say, 'uncle?'"

This made Taiyang look at Raven and Qrow before she spoke up.

"She needed to know. And besides, it's always best to start first impressions with honesty."

"First impressions?"

Raven then spoke to Taiyang with sincerity in her voice.

"Ruby's finally going to meet her mom. Summer's coming back."

This made Taiyang widen his eyes before he looked to Qrow.

"I know. I couldn't believe it, either. That's mainly why I'm here."

"Come on, Dad. Let's go."

" _ **Thought that I could pull you from the shadows**_

 _ **Maybe help you find your wings and fly**_

 _ **But you're a path longer than a travel**_

 _ **The more I'm just defeated our past mistakes repeated"**_

Later, they all walked into the forest and stopped at her tombstone by the cliff before Raven spoke to her.

"She might need her robe back."

"Oh. Okay."

Then, Ruby unclipped her white robe before laying it on the ground before she and Raven knelt down while she spoke.

"Hi, Mom. I know it's been a long time since we talked. But, we've just been through a lot without you. We all have. And... I'm here to... to let you know that we're all thinking of you. And how much we all miss you..."

Then, Ruby's silver eyes glowed as she shed glowing tears.

"To go the way you did... I understand that now. But... if I could make one wish in my life come true... it's to have you back in my life and... and to be with you again."

" _ **I'll risk it once again to have you hear my side**_

 _ **Another chance to let you destroy my pride.**_

 _ **You're lost, you're found, you're hard to pin down**_

 _ **I'll never know if you come through**_

 _ **Then you appear, Together we're here**_

 _ **And that's all that matters somehow"**_

As Ruby sobbed in grateful yet sad grief, her tears fell upon her robe before it began to glow as the moonlight shone on it before the robe began flying in midair. As it did, Ruby and the others grew surprised.

"Mom?"

"You know what's happening, Tai?"

"No clue."

Raven, however, knew the answer.

"It's happening."

Then, a white light enveloped the robe before it shined brightly in the night sky and the group looked to see a figure in her robe lying on the floor before they all cautiously went to her. Then, to confirm their beliefs, Ruby saw her mother's face in the robe before she opened her eyes and spoke gently.

"Ruby?"

" _ **I**_ _**feel like I'm running out of energy, while you just take everything in strides**_

 _ **The way I feel to you is no big deal**_

 _ **It's sad but it's true that the one thing I can count on is that I can't count on you."**_

Ruby widened her eyes in joy as she shed more tears before hugging her.

"Mommy! I missed you so much!"

As Ruby cried gently on her, Summer rubbed her hair back as she smiled.

"I missed you, too, Ruby."

Then, she looked at Taiyang, Raven, and Qrow before she held her arms out for them. Taking in what she wanted now after 15 years, they went over to her and hugged her with Ruby in the center of them as they looked to the moonlight while Ruby asked.

"So... what's next?"

" _ **You're lost, you're found, you're hard to pin down**_

 _ **I'll never know if you could pull through**_

 _ **Then you appear, together we're here**_

 _ **And that's all that matters somehow"**_

 _ **End**_ _ **RWBY**_ _ **Music: "All that Matters"**_

* * *

Far away in the forest of Patch below the cliff, a wolf-like Faunus was dragging a bag of sorts toward a palace before entering and dropping it at the master's feet before he spoke.

"It's almost done, Lord Kazan. But we've run out of dust."

Then, the figure stood up in front of him as his dark grey and silver robe trailed down the stairs as he spoke.

"Search the farthest villages. Find more dust. Remnant will be mine..."

 **A/N: I warned you when I said it'd make you think about crying. And if you haven't well kudos for you. Anyway, the voices of the wolf-like Faunus and the robed figure known as "Lord Kazan" at the ending are voiced by Danny McBride for the former and Gary Oldman for the latter. They will have a major role in my next story "The Third Crusade". Rest assured, I am not done with RWBY yet. Whether good or bad, I'll make it better in my stories to the best of my ability. And if you're displeased with that in any way, please let me know and I will fix it to your suitable needs. Thank you and have a great day. :)**


End file.
